The Avengers: Lokitty Edition
by I'vebeenLOKI'Dyetagain
Summary: Avengers AU where Loki escapes from the Chitauri and ends up on earth. Injured and exhausted, he disguises himself as a cat. And Steve has a thing for saving abandoned kittens. Then when The Other is sent to retrieve a couple stolen relics, Thanos has an army and a plan, and everyone thinks Thor is insane... (Protective!Thor, Protective!Avengers, BAMF!Loki, no pairings)
1. Chapter 1

**So, this story is basically a birthday present for my little sister, FrostedFangirl7413, because her birthday is sometime this month and I know she really wanted me to write this story. Thus I hereby dedicate this story to her ;3**

**I can pinpoint the exact when and where I came up with this idea. I was riding back home from class on the bus, and something random I'd written got stuck in my head, the lines being "Little black kitten, ca', wanna be where you are." And of course when I have nothing to do, like sitting in a bus for example, my thoughts always stray to Loki. And I remembered all those adorable Lokitty pictures I've seen, and then I've read a few stories where Steve saves a kitten, so... this plot kitty came to be. I was so preoccupied with it I almost missed my stop XD  
**

**And of course, I can't just write some little Lokitty one-shot, oh no**—**I have to come up with a whole complicated plot as well O.O So basically, this is an AU of the "Avengers" movie where Loki escapes from Thanos and the Chitauri before they can send him to retrieve the tesseract, and he ends up on Midgard, disguising himself by shape-shifting into a cat, and The Other is sent through the portal to retrieve the tesseract (and Loki) instead. Everything will be changed and mixed up and all crazy-like, though there will be some direct quotes from the movie. **

**There will be much BAMF!Loki, and Thanos and Odin might just get what they have coming for them ;)  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters, or the quotes, or the movie, or MARVEL, or even the idea of Lokitty. In a small box with a brightly colored ribbon: I OWN NOTHING! **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy ^.^**

* * *

Steve Rogers: Captain America, supersolider, the first and only superhero, a good man.

And Savior of Kittens.

Frankly, nobody was surprised.

Well, maybe Fury was. But surely Coulson wasn't surprised when they recruited Steve to the Avengers team to face the current global threat, and Steve only agreed on the condition that they help the kitten he'd just found in a back alley of New York.

"I couldn't just leave him!" Steve protested, holding the bloody and scrawny black cat in his arms.

It mewed pitifully when Steve adjusted his stance, its green eyes hazy and unfocused.

Fury raised his right eyebrow. "Is this really a priority right now, soldier? It doesn't even look like it'll survive the day."

The leader of Shield had a point. A couple of the cat's limbs were at an awkward angle that suggested that they were broken, and the cat's ribs were visible even beneath its torn up and glistening red coat of fur.

"It is," Steve said, raising his chin defiantly to stare down at the director. He looked down at the small cat, and there was something sad and empathetic in his expression.

_He's been bullied, _Steve thought, remembering times he'd limped bruised and bloodied from back alleys himself.

Coulson came over and leaned in towards Fury, whispering "Sir, we need the Captain on this. Is it really so much to accommodate the kitten as well?"

Phil cast a glance at the supersoldier still holding the cat, his professionalism fading slightly from his features to reveal a certain awe that widened his eyes, a certain tenderness to the line of his mouth.

Fury sent him an exasperated glance, before finally nodding. "Fine, you can bring the cat. I'm sure the doctor will be willing to take care of him for you."

Coulson took the hint and started dialing his phone.

Steve nodded, relieved.

"Hang in there, little guy," He murmured soothingly to the cat as he stepped into the jet. "You'll be all better soon. Trust me."

* * *

Doctor Banner was waiting for them on the landing pad of the Helcarrier when the jet set down.

"When you recruited me into this mess, I didn't think taking care of kittens was going to be part of it," He said to Natasha, who was standing beside him as the doors to the jet lowered and Fury, Coulson, and Steve came striding out.

"Neither did I," Natasha said cooly.

"Banner," Steve nodded, not offering a hand because he didn't want to jostle the injured animal he was carrying.

"Rogers," Bruce acknowledged.

"I've heard you'll help my cat," Steve said hopefully.

"That the only word you've heard?" Bruce asked, glancing at the bundle of ragged and bloody fur in the man's arms.

"And that you can find the cube," Steve gave a small smile, though his mouth was tight with worry. "But kitten first."

Bruce raised his eyebrows slightly at the supersoldier's lack of reaction about Other Guy, ignoring Natasha's 'I told you so' look, before gesturing for Steve to follow him and heading back inside the Helcarrier.

"Let's see what we can do for it, then."

* * *

"I've done all I can for him," Bruce said, exiting the Doctor's Wing of the Helcarrier to the room where Steve was waiting. "He's sleeping now in a nest of blankets. I'm afraid Shield doesn't have any spare cat beds stuffed in its closets."

"Will he survive?" Steve asked concernedly, as Bruce sat down in a chair next to him.

Bruce's thick eyebrows were pulled together, his lips pursed. "If he had been a normal cat, he'd already be dead."

"What do you mean?"

Bruce sighed. "That was no cat fight he got into. He has broken bones in both legs on the right side, a broken foot, several cracked ribs, as well as being covered by lacerations that look like they were caused by blades and whips. He's lost a lot of blood—too much blood. He's also severely malnourished," he paused, tongue running across his lip.

"That's not all, though," Bruce continued, shuddering slightly. "When I tried to stitch closed some the worst wounds, my needle wouldn't pierce his skin."

Steve blinked his widened blue eyes. "I'm... guessing that's not normal."

"That cat is not normal," Bruce agreed. "He's some kind of mutant; some kind of lab experiment or something."

Steve was silent for a few moments. He swallowed carefully. "So..." he ventured, "He'll survive then?" His expression was hopeful.

"If any creature could survive that kind of beating, it's this cat." Bruce said, before shrugging. "But don't get your hopes up."

Steve looked at the man, eyes flickering over his face. "What else is troubling you?"

"It's just..." Bruce shifted uncomfortably in the chair, which was saying something, since the chairs were smooth black leather and thickly cushioned. "From the results of the test I've run, I don't think I could hurt that cat unless the Other Guy grabbed him by his tail and pounded him into the floor. Whatever happened to him..." Bruce trailed off and shook his head, brown curls bouncing slightly.

"Well, if you boys are done talking about your pet, Fury needs on the bridge for some debriefing."

Both men jerked their heads up, to see Agent Romanov standing in the corner of the room, arms folded, full lips quirking.

They glanced at each other. _How long had she been there? _

"Yes ma'am," Steve said, standing up and crossing over to the door. He turned and waited for Banner to join him, before the two men headed out towards the bridge.

Natasha took the opportunity to slip into the med bay.

It was empty of patients as of now, except for the small black scrap of fur in the bundle of towels in the corner.

She crossed over, looking down at the bandaged creature, its eyes closed, chest rising and falling with each breath.

Her indifferent mask cracking slightly, Natasha reached out and, gently, hesitantly, stroked a black ear.

It flicked at her touch, and she fought the urge to smile slightly.

She turned and left.

With luck (or rather, with skill,) she could catch up to the boys before they even realized she wasn't there.

* * *

Fury stood impatiently, glaring at the three of them with his one eye as they walked up to him. "Took you long enough," he accused.

"The cat was in pretty bad shape," Bruce defended unapologetically, before muttering to himself "Still is."

Fury glared at him for a second longer, before turning to Steve. "How much do you remember from your debriefing in the jet?"

"Somebody stole the tesseract from you," Steve said, crossing his arms. "You should have just left it in the ocean."

"What's done is done, soldier," Fury said.

"So, who are we dealing with, exactly?" Bruce asked, unable to help his curiosity.

"He's called The Other, or so he said," Fury stated, before handing Steve a tablet. "We managed to download the security footage where the base collapsed. Take a look."

The three of them gathered around, staring down at the blank screen.

"Uh..." Steve said uncertainly.

"Give it here," Natasha said lightly, taking the tablet from the supersoldier's hands and pressing the play button.

"_The tesseract is a doorway to the other side of space, right? Doors open from both sides." _

_Suddenly the cube sparked, energy swirling like a hurricane around it before a blast of blue beamed across the room, opening a circular rift in space from which stars and darkness were visible, before the energy exploded, tendrils shooting outwards and buffeting the Shield workers like a gust of wind, before crawling up the sides of the chamber to dance around near the ceiling. _

_On the platform a cloaked figure knelt, sickly gray-blue-green six-fingered hands clutching a golden staff, which held a gem the same luminous blue as the tesseract, encircled with silver blades. _

_Steam spiraled off the figure as it stood, looking up to reveal a jaw and chin barred with a bronze-colored metal, the top half of the being's face covered by black cloth. _

_Agents crept cautiously towards the creature. _

"_Sir," Fury called, "Please put down the spear." _

_The figure just sneered, gray-blue-green lips pulling back to reveal bloodied, red teeth, before sending out a blast of energy from the scepter that knocked the agents into the walls with sickening crunches and knocked the being back a few feet, causing it to almost topple off the platform. _

_Growling, the creature dashed forward, blurring, and Agent Barton crashed into Fury and shoving him out of the way._

_Clint rolled to his feet and pulled out his gun in a fluid movement, shooting the creature only for the bullet to dent the bronze metal running down its chest and fall to the floor with a metallic thunk. _

_The figure sped forwards and grabbed the black-clad arm, twisting it back. _

"_You have heart," it sneered, voice rough, low and resonating. _

_It touched the scepter blade to Clint's chest. _

_It sparked; then nothing. _

_The creature growled something in what must have been another language and tried again, and this time blue crept up the man's neck, drawing the color slowly from his gray eyes till they were pools of black, before filling the irises with blue. _

_The alien let go, and Clint holstered his gun. _

_Fury watched, his eye narrowing in disbelief, mouth dropping in horror, before he began pulling the tesseract out of the device and putting it in a metal briefcase, closing it and making to leave as the creature did the same to the remaining surviving agents. _

"_And where," the creature said, turning towards Fury, "Do you think you're going?" _

"_How about 'away,'" Fury answered calmly, freezing. _

"_Give me the tesseract, and maybe I'll let you live," the creature said, showing his red teeth as he blurred to in front of the director, holding out a hand with two thumbs. _

"_This doesn't have to get any messier," Fury stalled. His gloved fingers tightened near imperceptibly around the handle. _

"_Of course it does," the alien laughed. It was a tortured sound akin to someone choking on their own blood. "I am The Other, and I've come to reclaim what belongs to us. And to see to it that your world _burns."

_Fury's only reaction was a raised eyebrow. "You mean to—" _

_His sentence was cut off however when he was shot in the back, falling forward and letting go of the brief case, which Clint strode over and grabbed. _

"_Sir, the portal is collapsing in on itself," Selvigg said, his bright blue eyes on a screen. "We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical." _

"_So be it," The Other growled, before he and the agents that were now under his control left the chamber. _

_Fury picked himself up and rushed out a few moments later._

_The tendrils of energy swirled around the ceiling like food coloring in hot water, before imploding into a sphere. _

_It then exploded outwards, and the last the camera recorded was a wave of blue, the screen shattering. _

_Everything went dark. _

"Well that's... creepy," Bruce said finally. "How far have you gotten with locating the cube?"

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us." Coulson answered, having appeared sometime while they were watching the security footage.

"That's still not gonna find them in time," Natasha remarked, looking at a computer screen that was searching for Agent Barton.

"You have to narrow the field," Bruce said, rolling up his sleeves. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"  
"How many are there?" Fury countered.

"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?" Bruce glanced around. "I'm assuming I'm not going to be working in the med bay the entire time."

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please." Fury commanded.

Natasha nodded and began walking off. "You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys."

"I'm going to need to move the cat in there so I can keep an eye on him," Bruce said, hurrying to catch up, Steve following him. "I'm afraid I don't trust your doctors."

"Understandable," Natasha said indifferently. "We'll stop to pick up your kitten on the way."

"He's actually not a kitten," Bruce corrected. "He's a fully grown cat, albeit just barely."

"So still a kitten, basically," Steve said.

Bruce laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

**TBC**

**And yeah, I know things are confusing right now... but they'll clear up, I promise :P I have some big plans for this story... mwahahahah }:)  
**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's the next chapter! I'm going to try to whip this story out, so you can look forward to frequent updates ;) **

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, alerted and reviewed! *-***

**WARNING: This chapter contains a flashback with some pretty graphic torture, which includes slashing, stabbing, choking, bone-breaking, and fair amount of blood. There is however NO rape or anything, though! **

**My first time writing a torture scene... *runs away sobbing***

* * *

_Daggers dragged across Loki's skin, cutting rivers of blood in his flesh that flowed over his body, his eyes flickering blue and green as he bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming, the taste of copper and zinc filling his mouth; warm, like molten metal. _

_His body thrashed on the ground, a mob of Chitauri surrounding him like a pack of ravenous wolves, tearing him with their blades as if they were teeth and claws. _

_They were emitting a sound, high-pitched yet rough, the sound of moons colliding. _

_He'd come to recognize it as laughter. _

_Blood ran into his eyes, and it painted the black sky inky and starless. _

_He felt himself get picked up by cold, clawed hands, felt the air whisper harshly against his skin as he was tossed away. _

_Going on nothing more than reflex and instinct he twisted in the air, his pain-clogged mind somehow differentiating up from down and landing him on his feet. _

_The scream that had been coiling leaden in his throat escaped past his split lips as he felt something pierce through his leg, shattering the bone and protruding from the other side. _

_It passed through his mind that the heat of his blood should be burning the Chitauris' skin, corroding the metal that was grafted into their bodies. _

_His thoughts were scattered, their voices drowning in fire that shifted somewhere between red and black, heavy, heavy and suffocating. _

_There was no room for anything else in his lungs. _

_So why could he still feel so distinctly the icy hands that gripped around his throat and lifted him from the ground? _

"_You should have known better than to cross me," Thanos hissed. "You really thought you could get away with stealing the Mind Gem?" _

_The rasping words were smothered in a blackness that pounded in Loki's head, swirling closer and closer, hands reaching, voices echoing. _

_Darkness danced, celebratory. _

_The cold grip relaxed, and the ground embraced him roughly, keeping him from falling farther even as he felt the cracks in his ribs exacerbate, like they'd been filled with water and then frozen. _

"_You are weak, _pathetic!"

_Loki felt his arm being snapped, every fiber of his bone screaming, the jagged edges of the break piercing his muscle, poking through flesh. _

"_Crafting the Gem into a scepter was a nice touch. What were you planning on doing with it? Surely you could not think you are any match me. Admittedly you resist my control remarkably well, for such a revolting runt of a giant such as yourself._

"_But you. Will. _Break. _Look at you!" _

_Thanos hefted him up and slammed his back against a wall of rock, leaning in close enough for Loki to smell his fetid breath. _

_Not the scent of Death, but the thick scent of decay and disease._

"_You don't even have enough magic to heal yourself now," Thanos growled, a smirk evident in his voice. _

_He reached out his other hand and tore open the scabs that had just barely started forming on Loki's skin, so slowly as to be hardly noticeable. _

_There'd always been some excuse to beat the living daylights out of him, Loki thought wryly. Oh how dark they left him, even the dull glow of dying stars brushed away like dust from coiled scales, serpents stirring after millenniums of sleep, only to find that its eyes had been open the entire time. _

_When Thanos tried to reach into his mind, the titan withdrew with a hiss, fingers dripping darkness. _

_Usually Loki's skin healed together quickly, his magic trickling over him like water as it knitted together his skin and mended bones, sight and feeling returning within moments. _

_It brought Thanos some pleasure to see that they'd finally managed to drain the godling's seeming endless supply of power—they'd kept depleting it, but it kept manifesting in the runt. _

_The bastard child was vexingly hardy. _

_But the breaking of such a creature was beautiful, the way it fought, the way it hoped, only for that hope to be dashed away, again and again and again. _

"_Oh, but I'll have fun with this," Thanos remarked, taking the scepter in his other hand and placing the tip of the blade where Loki's heart was. _

"_How many times have you been called heartless?" He crooned maliciously. _

"_Not near so many as you," Loki rasped, voice thick with blood and raw with the shed exoskeletons of screams. _

_He blinked his eyes. Green. (Blink.) Blue.(Blink.)_

_Green. _

_Blue. _

_Green. _

_(Blink blink blink.) _

"_I'm sorry, was that supposed to be a rhetorical question?" He said in answer to Thanos's scowl, which twisted the titan's features into horrid, violet rage. _

_The blade dug into Loki's chest, and he gasped, eyes rolling back. _

"_If I didn't have need of you yet, I might be tempted to kill you," Thanos said, voice low and murderous. _

"_But I still need your knowledge of the tesseract, you knowledge of Asgard. You harbor many secrets, runt." _

_Thanos pulled the blade out of Loki's chest, letting the god fall to the ground in a bloody heap of pale skin and tattered clothing. _

"_And I will extract them from you no matter what it takes." Thanos tilted the blade of the scepter, such that the blood caught the light in such a way that it glistened black. _

"_Maybe I'll make your adopted brother, whom you so _love, _watch. Watch as the monster he's had to put up with for years is destroyed, completely and utterly. Do you not think he would enjoy it?" _

_Loki was only vaguely aware of the Mad Titan's footsteps fading away. _

_Only vaguely aware of being dragged by Chitauri back into his cell, and dumped to the grimy stone floor, the familiar smell of his own dried blood and vomit greeting him like an old friend. _

_The door clanged shut, sending the windowless chamber into absolute darkness. _

_He was only vaguely aware that he hated it. _

_Time was scaled, slippery and wet like fish, and by now trying to think about it made him sick. _

_So he knew not how much time passed when he finally pulled himself into a sitting position, then when he finally pulled himself to his feet, bracing himself against the wall, reigning in his magic that he'd locked in his core, that was struggling so desperately to heal his wounds. _

Not now, _he thought, gritting his teeth. _

_He wasn't sure whether his eyes were open or closed, but it didn't matter; it was Yggdrasil he was looking for after all. _

_It was a feeling of swelling, throbbing, a headache just starting, of a life so immense it could swallow you whole and absorb you till you were the nothing in part of everything. _

_He jumped blindly, feeling for the first gap in the branches, the first rustle between the leaves, their veins nothing more or less than the threads that made up the universe itself. _

_He was falling. _

_Falling. _

_He heard murmurs, felt something guiding him, pushing him, pulling him. _

_He hated the ground. _

_It hurt. _

_Falling, falling was pleasant, soft and gentle, out of control. _

_The ground was definite. A rule, a boundary, a limit. _

_He forced his eyes open, wondering if it was a bad thing that the sliver of sky that he could see between the two tall red brick buildings was blue. _

_Did it reflect the color of his eyes? Or was it just this realm? _

_He wanted, just once, for the sky to be green. _

_It dawned on him then, the sounds. _

_It was chaotic, bustling, honks and yells and voice and rumbles and barks and screeches. _

_Midgard. _

_Oh he was so tired, the cement he was lying on felt like it was caving around his body. _

_(Drown me, drown me.) _

_He pushed himself to his feet, shoving the pain to the back of his mind with a promise to himself that he could scream later, that he could feel later. _

_Now was not the time. _

_If only his sight wasn't so damn blurry. Why did the world have to be made of smoke and heat, swirling and rippling? _

_He couldn't let himself be found, he _couldn't be found.

_Run, his mind screamed. Hide, his mind screamed._

"_Meow."_

_A shadow crossed his vision, four-legged, one-tailed. _

_He grasped the image; it felt familiar. _

_It felt safe. _

_The shape burned into his eyes and he wrapped his mind around it, willing his body to take on the form. _

_His insides twisted, and he felt his body changing, shrinking, his broken bones and torn skin stinging with newfound agony as they morphed. _

_At least his tail didn't hurt. _

_When his scream finally broke loose, it was a yowl. _

_A human paused at the mouth of the alley. _

_His expression was curious, concerned. His aura was strong but gentle, like the breath of wind that urged fledglings to spread their wings and jump from their nests, knowing that it would be warm. _

_That it would be safe. _

_Loki limped forwards, offering a "Mew." _

_(Don'tleavemedon'tleavemepleaseyousmellsafewhydoyo usmellsafe?)_

"_Is that..." The human stepped forwards into the alley, his eyes adjusting to the dim, and he gasped. _

"_What happened to you, Kitty?" _

"_Mew."_

_(Idon'tknowtrustmeyoudon'twanttoknowyoudon'tohit's cold.)_

_The human knelt down. "Come here, little guy." _

_The cat staggered forward, and the man picked him up, blue eyes widening at the creature's state. _

"_I'll get you somewhere safe, kitty," The man said soothingly, though horror was obvious in his voice as he stared at the blood that was soaking his sleeves. _

"_You'll be okay." _

_The man started walking quickly, careful not to jostle his small furry burden. _

_(WarmohsowarmwhydoIbelieveyouIshould'tbelieveyouth oseeyesblueeyestheyholdnoliessowarm... so warm...)_

_Slitted green eyes slipped closed. _

* * *

Slitted green eyes cracked open.

* * *

"Mew?"

Steve glanced over, a grin spreading across his previously sullen face at the sight of the intense green eyes looking at him, from the pile of baby blue towels in a box on the table.

"Look who's awake," he remarked, casting a triumphant smile at Bruce. "Where's my ten bucks? I told you he would regain consciousness in a day. And look! He was only out for twenty-seven hours!"

"That's over a day," Bruce huffed, filling a shallow dish with water. "Besides, he's probably going to be sleeping for the better part of the next few days as well."

He placed the dish in front of the black cat, saying "You're dehydrated, you need to drink. But drink slowly so you don't just spit the water back up, okay?"

"Really?" Natasha said, appearing leaning on the door frame. "Talking to the kitten, are we?"

"Just wait; soon you'll be doing it too," Steve said, watching as the cat darted out a pale pink tongue into the water.

His small body was covered in white bandages, but none of them seemed to have bled through. When Steve had asked what kind of cat it was, Bruce could only shrug, saying he seemed like some kind of Savannah, a mixture between a breed of house cat and a serval, due to his strong yet slender body and long legs, yet black fur, large green eyes and more triangular ears not set quite so close together.

"Now fess up, you owe me that ten bucks," Steve chided, before turning to Agent Romanov. "He owes me ten bucks, doesn't he?"

"Dr. Banner, you owe the Captain ten bucks," Natasha agreed.

Bruce took a crumpled ten dollar bill out of his pocket and, sighing, gave it to the supersoldier.

Natasha titled her head as the intercom in her ear crackled to life.

"We're needed on the bridge," she relayed. "Wouldn't want to miss Stark's welcome party, now would we?"

They made to leave.

Suddenly the cat's ears flicked, and he looked up, droplets of water clinging to his dark whiskers.

"Meow!"

"Hey, it's alright," Steve said, taking the few steps over to the table and reaching out to stroke between the satin ears.

The cat purred, digging his claws into Steve's sleeve. He looked up with large round eyes.

Steve sent a questioning look at Dr. Banner, when it became clear that the cat was not going to let him go.

"Bring him along, I guess," Bruce said, watching as Steve picked up the cat, who nestled in his arms, purring louder.

"That kitten is going to have you bending to his every whim," Natasha stated with a pointed glance, before she turned and left the room.

* * *

Meanwhile on the bridge, Tony Stark strode in, carrying an Iron Man suit in its suitcase form.

"Who invited him?" Agent Hill asked, looking at Fury.

"Phil did," Tony grinned. "You might know him as Agent Coulson. Yeah, he waltzed into Stark Tower and breached the security, then he stole my drink and gave me homework. Fun guy, right?"

Tony set his suit-case on the ground, before turning and pointing to one of the Agents sitting at a computer. "That man is playing galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He walked over to the center of the bridge and covered his left eye with a hand, looking around at the various screens. "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns," Agent Hill said coldly, glaring at him.

"Sounds exhausting," Tony muttered. "Now, let's see," He started, surreptitiously placing a small bolt-looking hacking device on one of the monitors, before clapping his hands together. "What—" he stopped, as Bruce, Natasha, and Steve entered, the solider still holding the cat.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner," Tony said, shaking hands with Bruce. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks," Bruce said in a sarcastic tone, his eyes flicking away and then back to the billionaire.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube," Fury told Stark, a note of sternness in his voice. "I was hoping you might join him."

"Yes, of course," Tony said offhandedly, before walking over to the supersoldier.

"Who have we here?" he inquired, completely ignoring Rogers and making to pet the cat, who hissed.

Tony pulled his hand back, before trying again, this time slowly and gently letting the cat sniff his hand.

Green eyes blinked, and then the cat licked his fingers with his rough tongue.

"Good kitty," Tony murmured, rubbing the soft black ears. He looked up at Steve for the first time. "Yours?"

"Not really—" Steve started, before Stark interrupted him.

"What happened to him?" Tony indicated the bandages and ribs that were showing obviously through the fur coat. "Does he have a name?"

"I don't know what happened to him, I found him all beat up in an alley in New York. Dr. Banner was kind enough to dress his wounds," Steve explained. "And no, he doesn't have a name yet."

"Poor little dude," Tony said, making sure to rub gently. "He totally needs a name though."

"I was thinking Thomas, or Tom," Steve admitted. "He looks kind of like a Tom. Or maybe a William."

"No way!" Tony said, shaking his head animatedly.

"And I think he's a too cute for those names," Bruce pointed out. How about Fluffy?"

"He's far too sleek for that," Tony argued. "And he's not a dog, and he has only one head. So no, he's not a Fluffy."

"Leo?" Steve suggested.

"Does he look lion-like to you?" Tony said, scoffing. "No way, he's like, a panther, or..."

"A serval?" Bruce suggested.

"Yes!" Tony said, pointing at Bruce. "That's what I was thinking of!"

"Except more adorable," Bruce insisted. He tilted his head to the side, brushing a curl out of his face. "How about Lucky?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I like that."

Tony snorted. "Cliché. I think we should name him Iron Kitty. I can make him a suit!"

Everyone glared at the genius, unimpressed.

Tony pulled his hand back and crossed his arms, eying the kitten thoughtfully.

The cat watched them all, whiskers twitching in what Tony suspected was amusement.

"Alright, what's your name?" He demanded.

"Mew mew," The cat quipped.

"I didn't know it was possible for a cat to sound sarcastic," Steve muttered, raising his blond eyebrows.

"Mew Mew? What's Mew Mew?" Tony asked, expression pulling in exaggerated bafflement.

"I rather think he looks like a Bloody Nuisance," Fury put in, joining them standing around the table.

"Come now, don't be furious," Tony said, "Although I guess that's an unfair request seeing as you're always Fury-ous. Ba dum tsh!" He pretended to hit an imaginary drum set.

"_Stark,"_ Fury warned.

"Not sorry," Tony shrugged, the glower of the director failing to ruffle him.

"Why don't we just call him Kitty?" Natasha finally spoke up, from where she was sitting at the table, her hands clasped together.

They all looked at her, then at each other.

Steve inclined his head, and Bruce shrugged.

"What do you think about Kitty?" Tony asked, directing his attention to the cat in question.

The cat purred, pawing at Steve's sleeve with his claws withdrawn.

Tony nodded decisively. "Kitty it is then."

* * *

***crawls back* **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter... and I would love it if you would leave a review and let me know your thoughts =^.^= **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I didn't update this as soon as I said I would! I'm afraid I just didn't have the time to write... but here's the next chapter, sis! And everyone else :) **

**And I actually have the chapter after this all written too, and so I'll possibly be posting that tomorrow... or the day after, if I'm feeling particularly evil and want to make you wait ;P**

**Anyways, thank you all so much for all your support! And I hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

* * *

These humans were amusing, Loki thought, if nothing else.

Thankfully the woman, Natasha Romanav he believed her name was, had suggested something tolerable.

'Kitty' was unassuming, insignificant, and altogether not too cutesy. It was more of a nickname than a name, and that suited him fine.

He had many nicknames, after all.

Silvertongue, Trickster, Sky Treader, Sly One, Thor's Brother (not anymore,) God of Mischief, Lies, Fire and Chaos... Kitty.

But as far as names went, ultimately all he would ever be is Loki.

Somehow though, he'd ended up with the group of humans who were doing something about the threat of The Other. (Or trying to, at least.)

It couldn't have been coincidence that he ended up in that particular alley, that the Steve Rogers happened to pass by.

And Luck had never been on his side.

No, he remembered something guiding him through the ether—Yggdrasil guiding him.

Helping him?

Not helping him for him, surely. Helping him so he could repay the debt, no doubt.

What did Yggdrasil want?

The answer was already in his mind, as if it had been there all along—been there always—a part of the tumultuous scenery, a single star (not his) replaced in the black sky, casting the very dimmest of shadows from the leafless trees and abandoned cities.

Yggdrasil wanted Thanos gone. Thanos, who would destroy the realms she suspended in her limbs like fruit, who would knock off her delicate equilibrium so all souls were harbored between her roots.

Well good, because Loki wanted Thanos gone as well.

It would be infinitely beneficial to have the very fabric of the universe as an ally. He could work with that.

What else did he have to work with?

He cast his green eyes about the Helcarrier bridge, noting the S.H.I.E.L.D logos, the computers that were searching for The Other and one Agent Barton, whoever that was.

So SHIELD was the organization that dealt with unusual threats. And its director, Nicholas Fury, had mentioned something about a response team, an Avengers initiative.

Loki made a mental reminder for after his injuries had mostly healed, to look into the whole Avengers deal—it sounded intriguing.

And useful.

* * *

One of the computer screens beeped, a square with an image of The Other turning red around the edges.

"We have a twenty percent match," An agent called out, bending down to look at the screen.

"Forty-five percent.

"Fifty percent.

"Sixty percent.

"Seventy-five percent.

"Eighty percent.

"Eighty-five percent.

"Ninety—"

"Enough," Fury said, peeved. "You don't need to keep saying that, I can see it on the screen, even with only one eye."

The agent lowered his head to hide a flush. "Sorry, sir."

The screen now read one-hundred percent.

"Captain, you're up." Fury said, nodding to the supersoldier.

"Wait, what about me?" Tony asked, affronted. He gestured to his suit-case as if it held the secret to life, the universe and everything.

Fury ignored him.

"Actually, you know what," Tony said, grabbing the suit-case and beginning to exit the room. "I'll meet you there."

"Captain," Fury said sternly, when Steve remained rooted to the spot.

"I..." Steve looked down at Kitty, who was watching him curiously.

"I'll take care of him," Bruce reassured, walking over and gently taking the cat from the Captain's arms, Kitty only emitting a small mew of pain as his broken bones were jostled. He then promptly began licking his good paw as if nothing had happened.

He drew the paw over his ear, before licking it again, continuing to wash himself.

Content that the cat was in good hands, Steve turned and followed Agent Romanov from the room.

"Now, let's see if we can find some cat food and get some into you," Bruce murmured softly to the kitten in his arms as he turned to leave as well, though through the opposite side of the room, towards his lab. "You're practically skin and bones, you know that right? Skin and bones and bandages."

The few whiskers above Kitty's eyes raised.

* * *

Before Banner left the room with him in his arms, Loki caught a glance of the computer screen, just long enough to see The Other skulking in the shadows.

Just long enough to see a flash of light in the darkening sky, a flash of red speeding towards the ground.

He could practically hear the thunder rolling like huge stone wheels over dirt and gravel roads.

Well, wasn't that just perfect.

* * *

"Meow!"

The cat in Bruce's arms struggled violently, digging his claw into the doctor's shirt and climbing onto his shoulder, looking back toward the computer screens, long black tail flicking in agitation.

"What is it?" Bruce asked in annoyance, trying to take the cat from his shoulder.

"Mrow!" Kitty insisted, coiling his limbs in preparation to spring down the ground.

"Woah there," Bruce said, finally getting a hold of the cat and taking him back into his arms. "None of that now, you'll only upset your injuries."

Kitty hissed, baring sharp, white teeth.

"Alright, alright, we'll go over there," Bruce said, taking Kitty back to where they could see the screens.

The agents stared in disbelief at the spectacle.

Bruce didn't notice, too caught up in what the camera feed was capturing, his brown eyes widening.

"Director... you might want to see this," Bruce whispered, not glancing away from the screen.

Fury came over, growling. "What is it?"

Agent Coulson followed him, looking over Banner's shoulder.

"I believe that would be Thor," Phil supplied, managing to keep his tone very nearly nonchalant.

"About time," Fury muttered.

* * *

Thor had found The Other carving out some dude's eye, which was rather disturbing.

He hoped the mortal lived, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment, and another mortal was in the process of calling an ambulance.

Or the police.

Or something like that.

Thor couldn't bring himself to care, too busy fighting.

"Where is Loki?!" Thor demanded, slamming The Other into the concrete.

"Shouldn't you be asking for the tesseract?" The creature spat, rolling out of the way and getting to his feet with a speed the thunderer hadn't expected.

The Other brought his scepter swinging toward Thor's face, only to be blocked by Mjolnir, which wrenched the weapon from The Other's grip.

Thor tossed the creature back against the wall of a building, stepping up and pressing his hammer against The Other's throat.

"Where. Is. Loki?" Thor ground out, voice low, deep and threatening.

"The darkest recesses of space," The Other said, mouth twitching, left hand tensing. "You'll never find him."

Thor studied him for a moment, blinking. "You're lying," He said finally. "I grew up with a talented liar; you can't pull one over me."

The Other gave a rasped laugh, and Thor pressed harder.

"Fine... he... escaped..." The Other gasped finally. "To Alfheim..."

"_Where?"_ Thor demanded, eyes narrowing.

The Other made a sudden attempt to escape the god's grasp, but Thor grabbed the creature's arm, twisting it backwards.

"Midgard," The Other relented with a moan. "I know not where."

"And the tesseract?"

The Other managed a smirk behind the brass-colored metal that was ingrained in his face, webbing over his chin and framing his mouth."Midgard as well."

Thor let go of The Other's arm and punched him hard in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground, before Thor took an empty car that was parked nearby and sent it careening into the creature.

"I have no time for games," The thunderer snarled, the sky darkening.

He picked up The Other and held him above the ground with one hand.

"I'm giving you one last chance—"

Suddenly something shot into Thor, knocking the god across the street.

Thor stood up as thunder rumbled overhead, his eyes practically sparking as he glared at what had crashed into him. "Do not touch me again."

"Then don't kill my stuff," Iron Man shot back.

Thor stepped forward as he saw The Other running away, only to be blasted back by the mortal's repulsors.

"You have no idea what you are dealing with," Thor said, shifting his grip on Mjolnir.

"Uh, Shakespeare in the park?" Tony said, faceplate lifting up as he gestured. "Doth Mother know you weareth her drapes?"

"This is beyond you, Metal Man," Thor snapped. "The Other will face Asgardian justice."

"He gives up the cube, he's all yours. Until then," Iron Man's faceplate dropped. "Stay out of the way."

"I am not your enemy!" Thor growled, completely fed up. He pointed with his hammer towards where the figure of The Other retreated out of sight. "While you're busy fighting with me, The Other is getting away!"

Iron Man turned.

"Shit," he cursed, before flying over to where Thor pointed, the god right on his heels.

"Where did he go?" Iron Man asked, as they came to the empty alley.

He had Jarvis scan the are for alien lifeforms, but found nothing—not a trace.

"_Away."_

Iron Man turned to see a furious God of Thunder twirling his hammer, a vicious gleam in the gray-blue eyes.

"Woah buddy—" Iron Man started.

"How DARE you?" Thor roared, bringing his hammer up, lighting cracking down to the metal, which he then aimed at the suited mortal.

"I WAS GETTING ANSWERS, AND YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!"

The suit crackled as Iron Man stepped back, staring at his hands.

"_Power at four hundred percent," _Jarvis stated.

"Would you look at that?" Tony said, using the power to slam the god with the repulsors from his hands and his chest.

Thor landed in a crouch, heels digging into the asphalt. He looked up, expression bloodthirsty, his hammer flying back to his hand as he stood up.

Iron Man was suddenly right in front of him, cracking his helmet into the god's head.

Thor took half a step back, staring at him unimpressed, before he headbutted Iron Man right back, sending the mortal flying backwards.

Iron Man pushed himself to his feet as Thor came at him again, only for Captain America's shield to knock into them, forcing them back a pace.

"Hey!"

They looked up to where Captain America was standing on top of a truck, catching the shield and placing it back on his arm. "That's enough!" he ordered. "This is a highly populated area!"

He jumped down in front of them. "Now I don't know what you plan on doing here—" he started.

"I've come to put an end to The Other's schemes," Thor retorted. "And to get my brother back."

"Wait a second, what brother are we talking about here?" Iron Man interrupted, turning his metal face to Thor.

"My brother Loki," Thor answered, glaring at them, a trace of sadness in his blue eyes. "He was captured and tortured by Thanos, whom The Other serves. I got The Other to tell me that he has escaped and is somewhere on Midgard."

"Does this happen to be the Loki that sent the Destroyer after you?" Iron Man questioned. "Selvigg told Shield about him. I read the file."

"Aye," Thor nodded. "He was..." The god swallowed thickly, eyes dropping. "Emotionally compromised, and I did not understand at the time."

"Right," Iron Man said skeptically.

Thor glared at him, and Tony had to try hard not to wince at the withering stare.

"Are we done here?" Captain America asked finally, as the quinjet landed in the street, the doors beginning to open.

Thor glanced around, panting as he tried to suppress the surging emotions.

What had Loki always advised him?

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

"Aye," he said finally.

"Good," The Black Widow said, striding over and crossing her arms as she looked him over. "Fury needs you to come in."

* * *

**Yeah, the battle couldn't be as long as it was in the movie, because I couldn't have them destroying half of Stuttgart. But I'm completely messing the movie up anyway, and kind of parodying some things too, so you'll have to deal XP  
**

**Explanations for some of Thor's actions come next chapter! You get a flashback! Woot! (I love writing flashbacks... I think it's the italics... I find it so ridiculously fun to write in italics...) **

**Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think! You know I'll love you for it ;3**


	4. Chapter 4

**And here's the flashback! I'm posting it today because my sister made the cute face at me XD  
**

**Thank you all for your amazing support, and I hope you enjoy! **

* * *

_Thor had been on the sidelines of the training ground when he'd suddenly been summoned to the throne room. _

_He was dripping with sweat from his near constant training, the rivers of salty water flowing down his cheeks almost like tears. _

_He wiped a hand across his brow, flicking off the wetness as he brought it back down to his side, where it tensed into a fist, his other hand clutching his sword, fingers rubbing along the hilt. _

_The bilgesnipe antler the grip was carved from was smooth and polished and black, achingly familiar in his grip. _

_Turning it over in his hand, he admired the crafting of it, the slight indents in the grip that fit his fingers near perfectly, the gold pommel engraved with the same insignia as his hammer, the matching gold guard set with a ruby on one side and an emerald on the other, the long moonlight steel blade that cut straight through most other swords. _

_His friends had been questioning his choice to fight with the sword lately, instead of Mjolnir. _

_But really, he liked to stay in practice with all kinds of weapons, and he'd been fighting with a sword long before he'd picked up a hammer. _

_Besides, this sword was special. _

_Loki had crafted it himself. It had been his present to Thor on the day of Thor's ceremony into manhood. _

_Loki had many skills, and his talent for crafting weapons was one of his less known ones. _

_One of his many lesser known and unappreciated ones. _

_Thor was lost in absent contemplation when the messenger hurried up to him, stating that the Allfather demanded his presence immediately. _

_There was inexplicably a horrible feeling in his gut, and it grew larger with each step he took until he stood right outside the throne room doors, the thing coiled inside him cold and twining around his heart, which beat madly in his chest like a rabbit trying to escape the clutches of its predator. _

_Dread. _

_As he reached and began pushing open the doors, a draft of dark energy wafted over him, sending the hairs on his arms and neck standing on end, and his heart squirmed further still, till he thought the blood boiling and racing within him would start coloring his vision red. _

_He hadn't been wrong._

_Standing in the middle of the chamber was a being Thor had never seen before. He was tall, muscular, with violet skin and glowing blue eyes, an rectangular chin with vertical lines, his armor of bronze and something dark. _

_The being spared a glance at Thor, a smirk spreading across his face. "The Chosen Prince," he greeted. _

"_What is your business here, Thanos?" Odin asked, posture tense and erect, eye cold. "You know I will not give you the Gauntlet." _

_Thor froze. _Thanos? _The Mad Titan? _

_Wasn't he a legend? _

_Thanos's expression was gloating. "I have Loki." _

_Frigga's hands flew to her mouth. _

"_You WHAT?!" Thor demanded. _

_Thanos threw something to the ground at the Allfather's feet, still smirking. _

_Odin didn't blink. _

_Frigga picked it up, fingering the tattered green fabric, the cape near unrecognizable under the grime and blood. _

"_Oh, the boy's stubborn, I'll give you that," Thanos said, smile twisting malevolently. "And his pain tolerance is admirable." _

"_What have you done to him?" Frigga whispered, angry tears already beginning to form in her eyes. _

_Thanos waved a hand lazily. _

_An image appeared in front of them, one of gloom and dark stone. _

_A pale figure in nothing more than tattered trousers and metal fetters was surrounded by creatures that seemed like some sort of hybrid between organic beings and machines, his dark hair matted with blood and falling into his face. _

_His back was already lacerated, skin torn to reveal the exposed muscle, cascading red. _

_The whip was brought down again, and the royal family could only watch as Loki flinched violently, his head tilting back enough for them to see the silent scream that no doubt was ripped from his throat, practically shattering the air. _

"_Enough!" Odin snarled. _

_Thanos dispelled the image with a flourish and a smirk. "And yet, still the Jotun won't spill your dirty secrets. He's locked them deep in his maze of a mind, and it's quite a pain to try to extract them." _

_Thanos considered them for a moment, taking in Odin's apathetic expression, Frigga's free flowing tears, Thor's face contorted in fury. _

"_Do you know that Loki thinks he means nothing to you?" Thanos continued, watching their flickers of horror with amusement. _

_He turned his glowing blue stare to the Allfather. "Turns out I now possess a powerful stolen relic after all, though not the one you thought to keep an eye on." _

_His smile grew, mocking, triumphant. _

"_You always were afraid of him, weren't you? Scared of what he could do. Of he could become. _

"_Funny that you threw him away for that, when he's so easily broken." _

_A vein in Odin's forehead ticked, his jaw clenching. _

_Thanos laughed, the harsh sound echoing through the hall like chains dragging across the ground, before he turned his attention to the Queen. _

"_I reached into his mind, you know. His hatred for you is weak. More regretful you ever held a monster in your arms and pretended it was more than that." _

_Frigga sobbed. _

_The piercing gaze moved to Thor, who was trembling now with barely suppressed rage. _

"_He used to scream for you. Scream for you and curse your name in the same breath."_

_Thor's vision was shades of crimson, burgundy and scarlet; his hand tightened around the sword hilt till his knuckles were white. _

"_Now he just bites his tongue till his mouth fills with blood and it trickles down his chin. Dips his fingers in it and writes on the walls of his cell." _

_The air shimmered, showing a dark wall, covered in runes of dried blood. _

_Thor made out one word before the image disappeared. _

Hurricane.

_Thor's self-control broke, and he charged forward, swinging the sword at Thanos. _

_Swinging the sword through Thanos. _

_The titan had been laughing, but he stopped, frowning in confusion as the sword actually chopped his illusion in half. _

_It flickered once, twice, before disappearing completely. _

_Thor panted, sword up, eyes darting around wildly, before he whirled around to face his parents. _

"_I have to go after him!" Thor said desperately. _

"_No," Odin said, shaking his head. "You cannot find him, and even if you could, you are no match for Thanos." _

_If Thor had been a dog, his hackles would have risen, and he would have bared his teeth in a growl. _

"_You don't care about Loki at all, do you?!" _

"_Thor—" Odin started. _

"_You never did! He always told me so, but I always insisted differently." Thor's expression was uncharacteristically cold. "Turns out Loki was right about a lot of things, wasn't he?" _

_He began striding from the room. _

"_I forbid you from going off on this wild goose chase!" Odin boomed. "I am your King, and your Father, and you WILL obey me!" _

_Thor turned, slowly, carefully, staring at Odin with eyes glinting dangerously. "Loki is my brother. Therefore one who is no Father of his, is no Father of mine." _

_Thor left Odin in stunned silence. _

_Odin turned to his wife, only to find her glaring at him, her face stained with tears. _

"_I knew you took him from Jotunheim only as a tool, but I thought you'd change your mind. I really though you'd changed your mind." _

_She stormed away, knowing intrinsically that Thor had gotten all his compassion from her. _

_He wasn't like Odin, no matter what her husband liked to think. _

* * *

"_Do you know where he is?" Thor asked Heimdall, as they stood at the edge of the bifrost, staring into space. _

"_No. Both Thanos and Loki are beyond my vision," Heimdall answered. He golden eyes were disturbed, scouring the universe to the best of his abilities and still finding nothing. _

_But then Loki had ever had a habit of evading his sight. _

_And he'd never found Thanos before, chances were he wasn't about to start now._

"_Let me know if you see anything. Anything at all," Thor commanded, a note of begging in his voice. "Please." _

_Heimdall spared him a glance for a moment, before turning his gaze back to space. _

"_I will." _

_Thor nodded in thanks. _

_As he strode down the rainbow bridge to his horse, swinging into the saddle in galloping down the shimmering expanse, he was reminded of that night Loki fell. _

_It still played over and over in his dreams, a nightmare he never fully woke up from. _

_There were tears glistening on Loki's face as he'd fought Thor, and his smile had been so broken and crazed Thor had barely recognizes him as Loki. _

_And yet it was. _

_Probably, he realized with a pang, even more Loki than the polite smiles and indifferent masks that usually graced his sharp features. _

_Yet he'd recognized the boy, the boy who held on desperately and had cried out, his undertone pleading. _

_("I could have done it! For you! For all of us!")_

_("No Loki.")_

_For a moment Thor thought he'd fallen off his horse and been trampled over. _

_The revelation that had spread across Loki's face like spilled ink, whatever dark realization he'd come to relaxing his muscles that had been wound with lies. _

_Thor closed his eyes, trying to focus on the air wishing past his face, the movement of the horse as it galloped. _

_But Loki's face only became clearer. _

_He watched his brother fall in slow-motion, till the void swallowed him whole, swirling, and spat out stars. _

_He'd been only vaguely aware of Odin hauling him back to safety, placing an arm around his shoulder and practically dragging him to the castle. _

"_What happened?" Thor had asked hollowly. "What happened to Loki? To my brother?"_

_Odin had sighed, before telling him about Loki's Jotun heritage, how Loki had discovered it, the conversation in the Weapon's Vault. _

_Thor thought he would either die or get sick. _

_He wished he could throw up the last few days, purge himself of them and start again. _

_If only he'd listened to Loki. Than none of this would have happened. _

_Loki. His Brother. A Jotun. _

_He tried to figure out what he felt about that, only to realize that it affected his feelings for Loki not. _

_Only his understanding of what had happened. _

"_Why didn't you tell us?!" Thor demanded. "Why didn't you tell him? Tell me?" _

_If only he'd known Loki thought himself a monster, he could have helped him. _

_It was madness. _

_Madness that something like this had torn them apart. _

_("Is it madness? Is it? _Is it?"_)_

"_Why?!" _

_He asked his Father, but the question was directed at the world. _

"_WHY?!" _

_He was flailing through puddles of darkness, puddles that Loki had left behind when he came inside from walking through the rain. _

_Loki had always been different. Alone. How long had he felt alone? _

_Guilt clawed at Thor's insides, making him close his eyes, tears brimming behind them. _

_Had he led Loki to believe that he was unloved? That it would be better for him to let go?_

_("Never doubt that I love you.")_

_Thor couldn't remember ever telling Loki the same, no matter how desperately his mind searched his memories. _

_His insides rebelled against him, and he collapsed to the floor as if his bones had disintegrated. _

* * *

"_Heimdall requests your presence." _

_Thor was up in a moment, full battle armor on, Mjolnir in hand. _

_He got to the bifrost with record timing, and felt no regret over brushing past Sif and the Warriors Three without a word or a second glance. _

_Heimdall was waiting for him. _

"_Did you find him?" Thor asked, hope written all over his face in child-like script. _

_The Gatekeeper hesitated. "I might have spotted him for a moment, but it was a fleeting glance out of the corner of my eye then it was gone, and I fear I might have been seeing things." _

_He shook his head, before continuing at Thor's downcast and depressed expression. _

"_However, The Other, a servant of Thanos, has found the tesseract and is wreaking havoc on Midgard."_

_Thor's head shot up. _

_There was a knowing look in Heimdall's eye as he watched the prince hurry back to the castle. _

* * *

"_King Odin," Thor said, striding into the throne room and kneeling, a fist placed across his chest. "I request your power and permission to travel to Midgard."_

_Odin looked down at his son, the tension between them tangible enough it was a wonder neither of them were catching on fire. _

"_And why is that?" the Allfather demanded. _

"_The Other has found the tesseract and is wreaking havoc there, and I have sworn to protect the realm," Thor answered fluidly. _

_It was the truth. He simply left out the part about getting answers on Loki's whereabouts. _

_He'd listened to Loki do much the same thing on multiple occasions, often about what the two of them had been up to, leaving out little details of importance. _

_Thor was surprised by how easy it was. _

_Odin's eye widened at the mention of the tesseract, and he quickly nodded his consent. _

"_I will grant you your request, Thor," he said, standing up and descending the steps to his son. _

"_Rise," He ordered. _

_Thor did. _

_The Allfather put a hand on his shoulder, closing his eye. "I can manage the power to send you to Midgard, however you must be aware of the fact that I will not be able to bring you back. You must regain possession of the tesseract for that."_

"_I will not fail," Thor said with conviction. _

"_I know you won't." _

_There was a surge of darkness, and the sensation of drowning, stars cartwheeling around him. _

_He barely managed to land on his feet. _

* * *

**Depressed Thor is really too much fun to write... **

**Questions? Comments? Constructive criticisms? I love it all ^.^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, alerted and reviewed! You know I love y'all, right? ^.^ **

**I plan to stay pretty regular with these updates. Probably not every day, but maybe every other day or so :) **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy! **

* * *

The ride back in the jet was silent.

Well, except for the whirring of Tony's suit as he shifted positions.

And Steve's foot tapping nervously.

And Thor's deep, calming breaths, as his fingers rubbed the hilt of a sheathed sword attached to a belt around his hips.

But mostly silent.

Until Tony spoke, of course.

"Dude, are you seriously carrying a sword? As well as that hammer of yours?" He asked, watching the god sitting across from him curiously. "Don't you think that's a bit overkill?"

The way Thor looked at him, Tony almost wished he hadn't said anything.

Really though, he was just curious! And this ride was proving to be extremely dull. Maybe he should just jump out the door and fly back to the Helcarrier in his suit.

"I was expecting to have to do more fighting," Thor finally said, softly, looking down at the sword.

Tony frowned at the cryptic answer.

In truth, Thor had been expecting to have to go save his brother, and the sword was quieter weapon than Mjolnir.

As well as that he knew that if his brother was able to stand, he would fight, and with his magic no doubt depleted he could use a weapon.

No point in explaining that though.

"What is that even _made _of?" Tony inquired, gesturing to the glistening black hilt.

"Bilgesnipe antler," Thor said, a fleeting smile flashing across his lips for but a moment. "From a particularly large and troublesome one."

He could still remember the day they'd gone out to hunt the beast, which was terrorizing Asgard's outer villages, and if it hadn't been for Loki and his magic, Thor would probably have died that day.

He realized that had Odin not taken Loki from Jotunheim and adopted him, Thor would probably be dead a thousand times over.

A stoke of luck, then? Fate?

"Bilgesnipe," Tony said unbelievingly, the word foreign on his tongue.

"You know: large, scaly, big antlers," Thor demonstrated, holding his hands above his head.

Tony looked at him like he was insane.

"You don't have those?" Thor asked, surprised, his hands coming back to rest at his sides.

"Nope."

"Well, they are repulsive," Thor summed up, staring into the distance. "And they trample everything in their path."

Before Tony could comment on that, Steve interjected with "So what's The Other's play?"

"He serves Thanos, the Mad Titan, a being nearly as ancient and powerful as the Allfather," Thor said, staring the Captain in the eyes.

Steve had to suppress a shudder.

"He has an army known as the Chitauri, but I know not for sure his motives here besides obtaining the tesseract," Thor continued, frowning slightly.

"Helpful," Tony muttered. "So he has an army from outer space. Is he going to, like, conquer the earth with them or something?"

"I don't think he cares particularly for this world. He'd more likely just destroy it to set an example of their power, before moving on to destroy all the Nine Realms," Thor said thoughtfully.

"Even better!" Tony exclaimed sarcastically. "Ultimate genocide. Kill the entire universe. Is anybody else remind of that Skrillex song? You know, the 'I want to kill everybody in the world,' one?"

Thor blinked, unsure about the reference, before continuing. "Yes, that is basically his plan."

"I was hoping you were joking," Tony deadpanned.

"Thanos is infatuated with Death," Thor explained, "And thinks to win her affections through the obliteration of all life."

After Thanos's little visit, Thor had gone to the Library and tried to find as much information about the titan as he could. Which hadn't been all that much, as it turned out.

Loki would be surprised he even read something though, and actually did research, Thor thought wryly.

Steve's mouth was hanging open. "That's..." he trailed off.

"Melodramatic?" Tony suggested. "Ostentatious? Extravagant? Insane?"

He furrowed his brow. "And since when is Death a woman? I thought Death was supposed to be like, a skeleton with a scythe or something."

Thor didn't bother to answer.

The pieces were all there, he was sure, but they weren't coming together; weren't making any sense.

If only Loki were here.

"Fury is going to be furious," Tony remarked, as the jet landed on the Helcarrier. "Seriously. Absolutely Fury-ous."

"Don't you think that pun's getting a little old?" Steve asked irritably, glaring at the billionaire as they stepped out onto the landing pad.

"Not as old as you," Tony quipped.

* * *

"Is there really no cat food in this ship?" Bruce grumbled, after emptying the contents of yet another cabinet. "It seems like they have everything else."

Kitty was back in his box on the table, eyes closed, nose buried under his tail.

The cat had been rapt by the events in Stuttgart, his green eyes flicking after every movement.

And there'd been a fierce kind of intelligence there, Bruce thought—one not normally seen in cats.

"Here."

Bruce whirled around, to see Agent Coulson in the doorway, holding a grocery bag.

He set it on the table, saying "As soon as we heard the Captain's conditions, we took the liberty to buy some cat food."

"Thanks," Bruce smiled, crossing over to the bag and taking out a can of food, reading the ingredients and nodding, finding the quality satisfactory.

"Somebody have experience with cats?" He asked curiously.

Before Phil could answer, Kitty suddenly jerked awake, eyes wide and dilated.

"Kitty?" Bruce asked, concerned.

The cat jumped out of the box and streaked out of the room.

"Hey!" Bruce cried in alarm, as the opposite door opened, and Tony walked in, followed by Natasha, Steve, and the huge blond dude, or god or whatever, from Germany—what was his name? Thor or something?

"You scared him!" Banner accused. "He ran away, and he shouldn't even be moving yet! No doubt he's exacerbated his injuries," he said, worry thick in his voice.

The blond dude creased his brow, crossing his muscled arms in an almost nervous way. "Who is this?"

Jeez, he was _ripped. _It was almost intimidating.

"Kitty," Bruce said, sending a pointed glare at Tony.

"Damn it," The billionaire swore, as he dropped his suit-case on his foot. "Ow!"

Steve's blue eyes widened. "I'll go look for him," he said, quickly exiting the room.

"I'm sorry," the blond dude said, though his mind seemed elsewhere. "I didn't mean to cause a disturbance."

"I'm sure it's not your fault," Bruce said grudgingly. "I don't think Kitty likes strangers."

* * *

Loki raced down the hallway, turning corners near randomly, legs stretching, body flexing.

He wove between Agents' feet as they uttered sounds of surprise and tried to stumble out of his way.

Thor couldn't see him, Thor could not see him, he could not let Thor see him...

It had been strangely satisfactory to watch Thor pummel The Other, except for the fact that Loki knew he would probably receive the same treatment if he were found.

Thor would recognize him for sure, and he would be taken up to Asgard, thrown in the dungeon for treason against Asgard and for attempting what Thor had tried and nearly succeeding, because he could do no right, and Thor could do no wrong.

And there Thanos would find him, take him back... hurt him...

Thanos still had need of his knowledge, of his power, of his abilities, Loki knew this.

But by the World Tree, he wasn't going to let Thanos use him.

He was nobody's weapon.

(He was a fucking force of nature.)

Loki didn't stop until he found himself perched somewhere high, dark, and enclosed.

The air vents, apparently.

He glanced around, eyes still dilated, but because of the darkness instead of panic.

(Not fear. It wasn't the same thing. He was _not _afraid!)

There were initials carved into the side of the wall, he noticed with some interest. _  
C.B was here_

C.B?

Loki's mind raced, eyes flickering over the knife-carved script, and an image flashed in his mind.

A computer screen on the bridge.

Agent Clint Barton.

Serious expression, short brown hair, gray eyes, slightly down-turned lips, rounded nose, strong jaw, a little tense.

Codename: Hawkeye.

He was the one who was under The Other's control, wasn't he?

Loki wanted to spit the acrid taste from his mouth, but he was a Prince (or at least, he was,) and such an action was beneath him.

Or was it? Wasn't he a monster, after all? A Jotun?

Not just a Jotun—a Jotun runt.

And now he was a cat.

Hiding in the air vents of some mortal flying ship, because he was too afraid his idiotic oaf of a not-brother would recognize him.

But then again, was anything really beneath him now, when he'd fallen?

Fallen as far as it was possible for one to fall?

Into nothing.

Into darkness.

He wrenched himself from his thoughts, the wretched voices in his head.

The echoes.

He desperately tried to ground himself to reality.

He focused on the not-quite darkness around him, the subtle false blacks that shaded the inside of the air vents.

The sensation of his long whiskers brushing against the walls.

Focused on the soft draft that ruffled silently through what fur was exposed and not covered in bandages, the flat hue of the stale air as he breathed it in through his black nostrils.

And he was suddenly aware of an aching as his ribs rose and fell to encompass the air in his lungs.

There were pangs all throughout his body, and turned his head to glance at himself, he saw that the bandages that covered his body were staining dark, as he'd ripped some of his wounds open.

And his previously broken legs were complaining, though now reduced to but slivering fractures.

Well that was annoying.

He licked himself, tasting blood, cat fur and dust.

It was strangely calming, and he proceeded to clean every bit of himself that he could possibly clean.

Afterwards he found himself staring at the initials again, his head cocking to the side.

"Kitty!"

That would be the supersoldier.

Loki unsheathed his dark claws and brought a paw up, carving some runes beneath the Midgardian script.

"Kitty, are you here? It's safe, it's okay."

His claws dug into the metal—quietly—like it was the consistency of soap.

Loki licked the shavings of metal from his claws, the flavor of it filling his mouth.

He glanced at what he'd written.

_Real high_

"Kitty?"

The voice, pitched in soothing tones, was closer.

Loki waited until he heard the footsteps pass by, then counted to pi, and slipped out of his hiding place, landing on the lit floor with all the grace of a shadow.

* * *

"Meow."

Steve whirled around, breathing a sigh of relief to see the kitten behind him, sitting innocently in the middle of the hallway.

"There you are," Steve said, kneeling down and holding out a hand. "You really worried me there, you know that right?"

Kitty watched him for a moment, his eyes a ridiculous amount of green, before standing up and walking forward, rubbing his head against Steve's leg, his tail twining around the supersoldier's arm.

The cat purred, soft and rumbling.

Steve gave a chuckle as he picked the cat up gently, beginning to walk back the lab, before he glanced down at the kitten and stopped.

"You tore open your wounds," he frowned. "And wait a second—weren't a couple of your legs broken?"

Kitty just nudged the man's hand with his nose, purrs taking on an amused tone.

* * *

"Sir, I need you to come with me."

Agent Coulson came into the room, his glance turned to the God of Thunder, who started, glance questioning.

"I need to debrief you, if you don't mind," Phil explained. He raised his eyebrows."I hope this time you won't fly off on me?"

Thor's lips quirked. "I will come with you," he answered, standing up and following the shorter man out of the lab where the Bruce and Tony were working on algorithms to find the tesseract.

It had been rather dull listening to their scientific talk, and he didn't even pretend to understand.

As he walked down the hallways after the Son of Coul, he brushed past Steve Rogers, who had a black cat tucked in his arms, its eyes closed.

A black ear flicked, and Thor stared after the cat a moment, an odd sensation in his gut, before he brushed it off as the fact that he hadn't eaten since before leaving Asgard, and continued following the Agent down the hallways.

Maybe once they got to their destination he could ask the man if there were any poptarts.

* * *

**Loki, for all his brilliance, kind of has Thor all wrong... **

**Don't worry though - Norse bro fluff will be coming ;3**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I wrote an entire chapter today! Over 2,000 words in the last couple of hours! What is _up _with that?!**

**Though because I just wrote it, I didn't have a chance to look over it, so there's likely a bunch of typos...**

* * *

Dr. Banner redressed Loki's wounds, giving him a scolding (that he pretended not to understand—he might as well not have for all he would listen anyway) for racing off and opening them up, though it was apparent in the man's brown eyes that he was astounded by how much the cat had healed in but a day's time.

Loki listened to the other mortals talk.

So Thor was being debriefed, was he?

Loki glanced at one of the nearly vertical screens that Tony was brushing his fingers across, cat-green eyes watching intently.

He could easily figure out how to get the footage up—the mortal technology wasn't so difficult compared to magical theory, and he'd passed by the Agent Coulson's office as he'd been running—he just needed an excuse to freak out...

"Here, try to eat something," Bruce said, prodding a saucer with some sort of cat food that _stank_ of fish towards him.

Ugh, the revolting stuff! (Ever since that bad experience with the spoiled lutefisk... Loki promised himself that if he ever, for some inexplicable reason, developed the urge to become King, he would ban fish.)

Loki leapt away from it before it could contaminate more than his nose, his paws finding hardly any purchase on the smooth screen.

"Hey!" Tony said, stepping back in surprise as the cat landed on the screen, scrabbling for a few moments, before he managed to grab the top with his front claws, his back paws skidding and sliding across the screen, 'accidentally' clicking things, before he finally managed to pull himself to perch on top of it.

Loki glanced down at the screen, watching as the upside-down video of Coulson's office came up, the Agent in the chair behind the desk, Thor in the other.

Ooh look, a button!

He swatted it, and the sound came on.

Bruce stepped forward, about to turn off the video, but Tony put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Wait," the billionaire said, a smirk growing on his face. "I want to see this."

* * *

The first thing Thor said after he'd sat down was: "Has your agency encountered a tall man with black hair, pale skin, green eyes, a fashionably elegant choice of attire, and an inclination to set your hair on fire if you try to approach him and 'take him in'?"

(If Loki was battered and injured, he would surely not let himself be seen as such.)

Phil shooks his head. "I don't think so."

Thor pursed his lips (it was worth a try, right?), before asking "Do you have any poptarts?"

"Excuse me?" Phil asked, the only visual sign that he was nonplussed being that he blinked, and the lines between his eyebrows deepened slightly.

"Poptarts," Thor repeated. "Humanity's greatest edible creation. Do you have any?"

"Probably. But I think we should get on with the debriefing—"

"I will tell you all you need to know," Thor promised. "_After _I am treated to a box of poptarts."

Agent Coulson just stared at him, Thor looking back innocently.

"I think it's a fair trade, do you not?" The thunder god said, placing clasped hands on the Agent's desk. "My knowledge, the information you so crave, for your Midgardian delicacy, the sustenance I so crave."

"Yes of course," the Agent answered, pushing a button on a little device in his ear.

"We need a boxe of poptarts up here." He glanced at the god across from him. "Actually, make that a few boxes. How many do we have? That many? Okay, just bring them all up."

Several minutes later the desk was covered in at least a dozen poptart boxes, and the God of Thunder was munching away hungrily.

"So," Agent Coulson said, leaning forward as he regarded the iron-thewed god. "Let's start at the beginning, with the New Mexico Incident, shall we? Everything important from there up until the present moment."

Thor wiped crumbs from his mouth. "Excuse me, then, if I start with the events leading up to my banishment to Midgard."

* * *

During Thor's recount of the events leading up to Loki's fall, Loki was genuinely surprised that the thunderer didn't seem to harbor any hatred towards him.

Thor's insights into his goals and motivations were nearly completely wrong, however.

Why would he want the throne? Stupid piece of metal that it is.

Though the power that came with it could be considered tempting—to banish anyone he wanted?

The fish needed to be banished. Most definitely.

All Asgard's fish suddenly ending up in Midgard's oceans; wouldn't that be a day worthy of celebration!

And from Hlidskialf he would be able to watch all the petty mortals freak out and try to find some explanation for the phenomenon.

Unfortunate that for the brief period he'd been King of Asgard he'd been a bit too preoccupied with other issues to think about fish.

(That cat food was stinking up the room.)

For example, proving himself to Odin (although _why _he'd ever sought out that old fool's pride was beyond him—he knew the truth now, knew he could never measure up, and knew he didn't want to,) proving that he was _worthy _(what in all the Nine Realms did that mean, anyway? Such a vague word, worthy...) making sure his oaf of a not-brother stayed on Midgard and didn't get away without punishment (he always got away without punishment,) and then Thor's friends... they claimed to be loyal to Asgard, but no, it wasn't to Asgard they were loyal—it was to Thor.

And Midgard was safe! Thor would have been just fine. He even has a girlfriend.

But no, Heimdall, Sif, and the Warriors Three were so selfish that they had to have Thor all to themselves.

They practically rode his cape.

Were _lost _without the thunderer.

It was ridiculous.

And then of course, destroying Jotunheim.

He'd only been following in his not-brother's footsteps, like everybody had always wanted him too

"_Why can't you be more like Thor?" _They'd always said.

Well, he had. Thor had tried to kill all the Frost Giants, and likewise Loki had tried to kill all the Frost Giants.

And he'd done it _better! _Better than the Golden Prince!

He'd nearly succeeded.

But he never could do anything right...

He couldn't even get _himself_ killed.

Wait, Thor thought Loki'd sent the Destroyer to kill him?

What a laughable thought.

The Destroyer, kill the Mighty Thor?

It had been meant to be but a distraction.

Okay, yes, he had made it hit Thor. But he was used to Thor getting beaten into the dirt and picking himself right back up, hardly a scratch on him.

How was he supposed to know that when the Allfather had stripped away the thunderer's power, he'd turned Thor into a mortal?

Why was that even possible?

Loki knew for a fact that he could never turn, or be turned, into a human—his magic was what made him _Loki. _

There was no way to remove that without killing him.

So what made Thor _Thor? _

Hubris, maybe? Arrogance and thickheadedness with but the occasional trace of humility?

Idiotic bravery?

Hm.

But really though, if Loki had wanted to kill Thor with the Destroyer he would have just incinerated him.

Oh, so Thor had come to realize that he'd been manipulated into fighting him. Maybe he wasn't quite as dull as Loki had thought him to be.

Surely he'd realized that Loki's threat against the mortal woman was a falsehood, then? A lie to get a reaction?

A good thing this Shield agency had thought to move the woman somewhere safe when The Other came down and controlled the other scientist—the old man.

Couldn't have the woman get kidnapped and Thor go berserk.

Loki's fall...

He was quite proud that he'd kept his reaction to a simple tail twitch.

Wait a minute, was Thor really showing contempt towards the Allfather? The man the thunderer had so looked up to for all those eons, had striven be like, striven to be worthy for, worthy of?

What kind of a lie was this?

But no, Loki gave Thor too much credit.

The idiot wore his emotions like he wore battle armor, flashing them all over the place for everyone to see. He couldn't spin a lie worth a piece of Midgardian currency to save his life.

What _was _this?

And why was Thor telling this mortal everything?!

Loki batted at the blond hair on the screen absently, keeping up his kitty persona.

After eons spent with his not-brother, Loki could visualize the exact movements the golden hair danced when the wind played with it, the way it flitted in Thor's face and he'd had to spit it out of his mouth.

Maybe that was one of the reasons Loki had taken to slicking his hair back.

His mind was messed up enough he didn't need the wind mussing up his hair as well.

Heh, so Thor had mourned him. Well wasn't that _nice. _

Oh yes, Loki had never been popular in Asgard, he could just see them rejoicing at Thor's return, see them laughing at the feast.

Thor is banished to Midgard, and oh no! What a horrible day! We have to get him back, we couldn't _possibly _live without him for a month!

But wait, Loki fell to his death? When did that happen? Although, the castle has been rather peaceful lately... we are so sorry for loss. But don't you think Asgard's all the better off, without his tricks?

Loki couldn't say he was surprised.

He'd always been ignored.

Maybe he should have tried to make Asgard hate him. Then maybe they would have at least noticed his absence.

A thought to consider in the future, perhaps.

And—_what?!_

Thanos visited them, did he? Told them about how he tortured Loki...

...Targeted each member of the royal family and ripped them apart, Loki gathered.

Clever.

He could almost admire the titan for it, that manipulation.

Unsettle those at the heart of Asgard, and the entire realm itself will soon follow—leaving it vulnerable, open for sabotage, easier to conquer.

Thor went to the _Library?! _Well wasn't that new.

Ah yes, Thanos's obsession with Death, wanting to kill everyone... his army of Chitauri...

Oh, Thor forgot about the Infinity Gauntlet.

Tsk tsk.

Thanos's plan was simple enough, really.

And he knew how to take his sweet time.

Yes, Agent Coulson would be most concerned about Thanos wanting Midgard, wouldn't he.

Petty mortals.

This was so far beyond their comprehension.

But they had a great deal of compassion, Loki would give them that.

He found himself disliking the thought of this world coming to an end. They might actually have what it takes to defend themselves for a time, though.

This 'Avengers Initiative' or whatever sounded promising.

…Wait, Thor _repudiated his name?! _Told Odin that if he wasn't Loki's father, then Thor wasn't Odin's son?

_Why did Thor insist Loki was his brother?_

Lies.

Lies, all of it.

Lies lies lies.

Loki started shaking, and had to turn it into a loss of a balance and tumble off the screen so as not to appear suspicious.

Fortunately the humans were rapt enough on the screen, on Thor's story, that they probably didn't notice.

He landed on his feet, of course. And immediately began cleaning himself as if nothing had happened.

Cats were proud creatures, after all—at least that part of their nature Loki didn't have to fake.

He did have cat instincts in this form, it was simply that he could choose whether or not to acquiesce to them.

A shoelace.

Bat.

Bat bat bat.

How dull.

And he could still hear his not-brother talking.

He wove between the Captain's ankles, purring and twining his tail around the man's legs until he picked him up, and Loki could see the screen again, could analyze the thunderer's face.

The human was so warm...

He ran warmer than the other humans—a higher metabolism, which mean he was faster, stronger.

Superhuman.

Super warm.

Loki shouldn't feel the cold.

Shouldn't feel its spidery fingers latch around his heart and drag down his legs, sending a shiver down his spine that set his fur on end.

But feel it he did.

Oh, why did Thor have to care so much for him? It be so much easier if he didn't.

Loki was finding it rather hard to believe that Thor came down to Midgard for him as much as the tesseract—if not more.

And he brought the sword Loki had made him! Agent Coulson actually pushed his chair back as Thor drew the blade, which caught the shadows on its edge, delicate and quivering.

Even the humans in the lab took a step back, as if the blade could cut right through the camera they watched from and come jutting out the screen in front of them.

The purring in Steve's arms thrummed a notch louder.

Loki had promised himself truth.

No more lying—not to himself.

And the truth...

Thor loved him.

_Well damn. _

* * *

**Loki's POV is kind of hard to write. I don't feel I do him justice. But these are just his surface thoughts, okay?**

**Um... let me know what you think? Please? :3**


	7. Chapter 7

**Another chapter! Can you believe it? Because I can't... writing this much this quickly is rather unusual for me O.O**

**I blame you all and all your amazing support! It keeps me going ;3 **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The Son of Coul was a good listener, Thor thought. He was attentive and didn't ask questions until the end of his tale.

"You obviously love this brother of yours," the Agent remarked. "You say he escaped, but he isn't working for the hostile force? You don't think they let him get away and forced him to do their bidding?"

Thor shook his head. "My brother would never give in to their wishes, unless he was planning to use it against them."

"Yes, but with torture—"

"Mortal," Thor interrupted, staring hard at the man. "Trust me."

The thunderer then glanced away, his lips pressing into a hard line. "There is no pain can compromise him."

"Before the events you've told me of, were you and your brother close?" The Agent asked, moving on to a topic he figured would be more comfortable for the god.

"Aye," Thor said immediately, before pausing, blond eyebrows coming together. "Or at least, I thought we were. As young children we were inseparable," The god recalled with a reminiscent smile. "We were always together, getting into trouble, and he's always been especially skilled at getting us in and out of difficult situations. He was sweetest kid, too."

Thor's blue eyes had lit up, but now they darkened slightly. "But in the ages since then we grew more distant, and he grew colder, more closed off. I fear how I've wronged him..."

Agent Coulson waited.

"I'm done talking," The thunderer announced, getting abruptly to his feet.

The man nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Thor grabbed the last box of poptarts and was almost through the door before he glanced back. "Thank you for listening. Maybe sometime I'll regale you with tales of Loki and I's exploits."

Phil smiled. "I would like that."

* * *

Thor entered the lab to find the Rogers, Stark, Banner and Romanov all sitting on the couch that was pushed up against one of the walls.

(Couch? Where did that come from?)

"Greetings," The god said, coming over.

"Hey Point Break," Tony nodded in acknowledgment.

Thor suddenly stopped, staring at the black cat that lay in Steve's lap, Natasha scratching his ears absently.

"What, never seen a cat before?" Tony asked, mistaking the god's scrutinizing stare. "Thor, this is Kitty. Kitty, Thor."

The cat looked up, large green eyes unblinking.

Familiar green eyes, shifting shades of emerald and jade, with undertones—not of this world.

Swirling beneath the surface like the silhouettes of sharks beneath roiling ocean waves, the unmistakable glimmer of magic that outlined the pupils sharpened with a fierce intelligence,

Thor shivered as those eyes seemed to see right through his head, picking his mind apart and laying out all the different wheels and cogs, analyzing them, clicking them together in a thousand different ways and discarding them, as thoughts, actions and motives were weighed and measured, the infinite possibility of outcomes at a word.

Funny how Thor had almost forgotten how unnerving that felt.

"Loki?" Thor breathed.

"Uh," Tony said, glancing between the god and the cat. "No. Not Loki. Kitty. I understand you're devastated about your brother and are desperate to find him, but this is a _cat_."

"My brother is a talented sorcerer, capable of great feats of magic of many kinds, including shape-shifting," Thor answered, not taking his eyes off the cat he was now convinced was Loki.

The mortals watched, more in curiosity than anything, as Thor reached a hand forward, only for Kitty to lash out, hissing, ears flat, clawing the thunderer's hand and drawing blood.

Thor pulled away, looking at his hand as beads of red formed along the scratches.

Thor smiled sadly. The cat was most _definitely _his brother.

"This dude is insane" Tony commented, leaning over to whisper in Bruce's ear.

Steve, overhearing, raised a warning eyebrow at the billionaire, before his gaze flicked to both the hammer and the sword still attached to the god's belt, his meaning clear: Thor was not somebody you wanted to mess with.

Tony shrugged, an infuriating smirk tugging at his lips.

He messed with everyone, after all. They'd just have to get used to it.

Thor turned his gaze back to the black cat, frowning, only now seeming to realize that he was covered in bandages, and his ribs were practically visible through them.

"How was he when you found him?" Thor asked tentatively.

The cat in rubbed his head against the woman's palm, seemingly not paying any attention.

Thor knew better.

"He was in a bad way," Steve said, eyebrows coming together slightly as he glanced down at the kitten in his lap, who was currently getting pets from all three other occupants of the couch. "You can't tell so much now, but it was just a couple days ago, and he had several broken bones, and... God, there was so much blood. We didn't think he would survive."

Thor's eyes were full of so much pain they darkened a few shades, the blue becoming nearly a dark gray. "Have you gotten him to eat anything?" Thor asked.

Bruce shook his head. "He's had some water, and I tried to feed him some cat food—he wouldn't touch it."

Thor's frown deepened, and he glanced around, eyes alighting on the open tin of cat food on the table. He picked it up, noticing it said Tuna—which must be some kind of fish, guessing from the smell.

Thor shook his head. "Loki's never liked fish," he mused. "There was a bad experience with some lutefisk once. He's still holding a grudge."

Thor glanced back at the cat.

There was a white glint of feline teeth.

The thunderer supposed it was intended to be threatening, but it seemed almost halfhearted, and with those large black ears and huge green eyes... it could be considered endearing, almost.

"Here, try feeding him this one," Thor said, having found the bag of cat food and taking out one labeled Beef. He ripped open the top without bothering to use a can opener—he probably didn't even know what a can opener was—and handed the opened can to Bruce.

The Doctor took the cat food doubtfully, but fished a spoon out of his pocket and scooped some out, holding it out for Kitty to smell.

The cat shot a look at Thor—so swiftly the thunderer couldn't even be sure if it had truly happened, much less make out whatever emotion was playing in those eyes.

(The eyes were always the give away.)

Kitty sniffed the food, whiskers twitching, before the pink tongue darted out.

Thor held his breath.

He knew that Loki could go a long time without food, but he also knew that the sorcerer's magic required energy, energy he'd been continuously using to heal himself from the tortures and keep himself alive, not to mention what it would have taken to escape—and Loki probably hadn't eaten since after he fell from the bifrost.

The thunderer's insides twisted uncomfortably at the realization.

But as fast as Loki was healing, Thor knew he'd heal even faster with sustenance.

And so when Loki licked the cat food and paused for a moment, before immediately eating everything on the spoon, Thor's heart fluttered with joy.

Surprised, Banner dipped the spoon in to feed Kitty more, only to suddenly find the cat sitting in his lap, eating right out of the can.

The cat food was polished off within seconds.

Bruce just stared, mouth hanging open slightly, as the cat looked up at him expectantly.

Thor smiled, immediately grabbing another can and opening it—Chicken this time.

"Wait!" Bruce protested, "He can't eat too much! At this point of emaciation, he'll throw it all up."

"Do not worry, Loki will keep it down," Thor chuckled, placing the open container of food on the floor.

The cat leaped down and, after sniffing the substance, polished it off as well, with the same astonishing speed.

"Okay, maybe you were lucky with the fish thing," Tony admitted, "But Kitty _can't_ _possibly _be your brother! You're simply missing him so badly you're grasping at straws."

Thor just held up his hand, indicating the scratches (which were just starting to scab up) as if that was evidence enough that the cat was his brother.

Tony rolled his dark eyes. "Oh yes, the cat _scratched _you. Here's a bit of info for you: _all _cats scratch."

"Yes, but normal cats can't puncture my skin," Thor answered.

The mortals just stared at him unbelievingly.

Thor pursed his lips, glancing at Natasha, who had a gun holstered to her thigh.

"Shoot me."

"Woah, _what?!" _Steve said, sitting up straighter. "You can't just let yourself get shot! Especially not on a ship!"

"If you're afraid of hurting me, you can just graze me," Thor shrugged, gesturing to his bare arms (he was wearing a flashy metal vest over a black sleeveless shirt.)

Natasha smirked, standing up. "It would be my pleasure," she said, pulling out her gun.

"Don't hit my equipment!" Tony called out immediately. "Or I'm making you pay for replacements!"

The assassin pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting one of Thor's ridiculously muscled arms and ricocheting off and falling harmlessly to the floor.

"I always heard she was trigger-happy," Tony mumbled to himself, before saying louder "Okay, we get it—you're an indestructible god or whatever—but that _still _doesn't prove that the cat is a god as well."

Everyone turned to look at Kitty, who was on the table now, only his tail visible as he crawled into the shopping bag.

He was back out in a few moments, batting another container of cat food.

"Meow."

Bruce sighed, but obeyed the command and opened the can. "Don't blame me if you get sick," he muttered.

"I speak the truth!" Thor protested, though nobody seemed to be listening anymore, their attention focused on Kitty.

_Give it up, Thor. They'll never believe you._

Thor suddenly grinned, face lighting up like a storm had just passed, one that had blocked the sun for so long the touch of its warm rays had been all but forgotten.

He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Loki's voice in his head again.

_Don't speak to me aloud—they already think you're insane. _

**But Loki... **Thor thought, expression falling into confusion.

_Just play along, _Loki said, a note of commanding in his tone, a hint of something else—desperation? Exasperation?

_Or is that expecting too much from you? _

_Oaf. _

Thor couldn't help it; he chuckled.

**I have missed you so, Brother. **

* * *

The Other gripped the scepter tightly in six-fingered hand, breathing in deeply as the basement he'd set up as his lair splintered away around, chipping away in pieces as if somebody was going at it with a hammer and a chisel.

Dark rock and a galaxy of a sky replaced it—the emptiness of the void with a sprinkling of multi-colored stars, like sprinkles on a dark chocolate cake.

Except that if you tried to bite into it, it would taste exactly like what it is: Nothing.

"You have acquired the tesseract?"

The Other turned at the growl, to see Thanos standing on a precipice of rock, purple hands clasped behind his back as he stared, quite literally, into space.

"Indeed, Master," The Other said, his own voice a rasping hiss to the titan's gravelly rumble. "And the building of the portal is well underway."

"And you've located the trickster?"

The Other paused a breadth too long.

"Not yet, Master."

Thanos turned slowly, staring down at The Other with his cold, shining blue eyes.

"Start with the organization that you took the tesseract from," He ordered. "The Jotun has surely caused a situation, and they will have been sure to notice and act on it."

The titan's gaze was unyielding, promising a high price for failure.

"Capture him no matter the cost, and make sure you bring him to me alive. I have need of him yet."

"Yes Master," The Other turned away, only to be stopped once more by the titan's voice.

"I don't mind you taking your time, but do try to keep in mind: your Chitauri grow restless."

The Other hurried away, his mind jerking back to where his body was on Midgard, leaving Thanos staring into the nothingness in front of him.

And as if he could see his goal there, a mirthless smile oozed over his violet features.

His fingers twitched in anticipation.

* * *

**Evil ending? XP**

**Review right MEOW! =^.^= Pwease? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Written between 12:30am and 3:30am. It shows. A lot.**

** I have no idea if it makes any sense at all, and it's probably riddled with typos... but I hope you enjoy :3**

* * *

There were no incidences anywhere on the globe.

There was no sign of the tesseract.

All they'd managed to figure out was that it wasn't in New Zealand, Iceland, or Hawaii.

It was grating on everyone's nerves, the waiting.

"Maybe I can hack that Agent's Galaga game," Tony mused aloud, clicking around on one of the screens. "Put in a giant kraken or something. If I could just—what _is _Phase 2?" He asked suddenly, as tabs started popping up on the screen.

"What?" Bruce asked, glancing up.

"Jarvis has been running a hacking program since I hit the bridge," he answered, gesturing to the screen, which was now covered with tabs showing tesseract-powered weapons. "I now know every dirty secret Shield has tried to hide. Don't tell me you weren't suspicious as well."

Bruce shrugged, which Tony took as an affirmation.

"I thought it was rather suspicious of Shield to be in the energy business, and to not get you in on it, with your name being the only one in clean energy right now," Bruce admitted, coming over to examine the screen with the billionaire.

Kitty's ears perked up from where he was perched on the table, twitching slightly to the right.

He lifted his head and glanced in that direction, pupils narrowing, and Thor immediately tensed in anticipation.

"Lo—Kitty?" He asked. "What is it?"

There was no answer in his head, the cat instead leaping down lightly and sprinting out the door.

"Not again!" Steve cried, as he dashed after the cat, Thor right on his heels.

"Look at 'em go," Tony snorted. He pulled a cellphone out of his pocket, dialing a number on speed dial and holding it up to his hear.

"Hey Fury," He said, "It's me, your resident genius. I was just wondering if you'd clear up why on earth you've been _using the tesseract to make a nuclear deterrent?" _

There was a click, and he removed the phone from his ear, frowning down at it. "He hung up," Tony muttered. "The bastard."

* * *

When the two blonds came back to the lab, they found Fury, Tony, Bruce and Natasha in a heated conversation.

"They're just blueprints," Fur was protesting. "We weren't actually going to build any unless—"

"Excuse me," Steve said, setting a hydra weapon down on the table. "What were you lying?"

Kitty had been draped around the man's shoulders, before jumping onto the table and pawing at the gun, meowing.

"I was wrong, Director," The supersoldier continued with barely concealed distaste, "The world hasn't changed a bit."

"So," Bruce said, crossing his arms and glaring at Fury. "Explain to me why Shield is using the cube to make weapons of mass destruction."

Fury glowered. "Because of him," He said, raising an arm and pointing straight at Thor's face.

"Me?" The god asked, not understanding.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town," Fury stated. "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly—hilariously—out-gunned."

"By people who want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor protested, his thick arms crossed in front of him.

"But you're not the only people out there are you?" Fury pointed out.

The image of The Other flashed through everyone's minds, teeth cloaked in red.

"And you're not the only threat," The Director continued. "The world is filling up with people who can't be matched. They can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve retorted, tilting his head slightly.

"Your work with the tesseract is what drew The Other to it—and his allies," Thor said, arms dropping as he stepped forward, dead serious. "It is a signal to all the Realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve questioned. What the heck did that mean?

"You forced our hand, we had to come up with some—" Fury started, gesturing at the gun.

"A nuclear deterrent," Tony cut in, hands tucked in his pockets as his eyebrows lowered knowingly. "Because that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark," Fury snapped.

Kitty chose that moment to mew in agitation, green eyes wide as he glanced between them all, ducking slightly behind the gun when they all turned their glares to him.

Gazes immediately softened.

"Guys, you're unsettling him," Natasha scolded, crossing to the table and scooping the cat into her arms.

Kitty nestled his head beneath her chin, still watching them all apprehensively.

"Why don't we talk about this like civilized people instead of exchanging insults," She said. "Now we know, and what's done is done—we need to focus on what we can do to stop The Other. And fighting amongst ourselves is not one of them."

She glanced down at the cat in her arms, who seemed to have relaxed somewhat, now batting gently at the copper waves of hair that curled below her ears.

"Boys," She muttered, shaking her head.

The cat purred, and Thor's hand hit his own face with an audible slap.

Loki and his charms.

There was a rather awkward silence.

Tony broke its reflective surface first, with a ripple of laughter.

It grew till it filled the room and tickled everyone's sides (except for Fury's), the tension easing from taught frames, as words once again found a steady purchase.

"So..." Steve said. "What can we do to help?"

"Make sure you're rested," Was all the Director said before he left the room.

* * *

The humans' program for find the tesseract was still getting nowhere.

Loki knew it never would, if the cube was somewhere, for example, beneath several levels of lead flooring.

He could send his magic out to find the cube.

All it would take was a brush of the tesseract's energy, and he would know its exact location—and The Other would know his.

Loki wasn't ready for that; not yet.

So he contented himself with waiting.

But he never had been one to sit idle, when there was so much he could be doing—like mischief.

Oh, he missed that constant companion, whom he'd found himself penchant with since childhood, many a dull day sharpened by its slender horns.

Another time maybe—the ascertaining of knowledge and information an equally tempting proposition: there could never be too many stars in a sky, especially not a firmament so indefinitely vast as the one that painted the inside of his mind; chaotic bursts of color that danced with the black and fell upon the mazing corridors with eager breaths.

Flames ready to escape the torches' grasps, volatility thrumming within their gentle flickers.

His desire and need to understand, coupled with an unsatisfiable curiosity, sent him with the coming night as it faded away the blue dusk first to Banner's chambers.

A mirror on the wall, and Loki shrank away from his own prying eyes, reflecting the light monstrous.

Why red?

"There there," Bruce said soothingly, picking him up and tapping on the glass, to show it was not in fact a duplicate of him, but a reflection—an image backwards.

"There's no need to be afraid of yourself," the mortal continued. "Though I know what it's like to feel that way."

Depths of brown, a trace of green?

Which ran deeper? _Did _one run deeper?

"You give me hope, you know," Bruce said. "With your determination to live—you seem like you've been through Hell, but you're still going; you didn't let Death's temptation take you."

What did the man see—a child-like wonder?

"I've been there. I got low. I put a bullet in my mouth, and the Other Guy spat it out.

"So I moved on. I focused on helping other people."

He stroked the black fur, and it was unclear who was truly seeking comfort.

"The Other Guy is a touchy subject for me. It was all an accident, what happened... I was trying to replicate the serum that was used on Captain America, and I thought gamma radiation might be the key.

"Didn't quite go my way."

Funny, Loki thought, how when given a listening ear—one who wouldn't judge, would do nothing but listen to whatever words bubbled out, having fermented in the deepest recesses where lock and key are all but necessary—chains; iron or silver, the fetters eventually rust—red, black.

Dusting it away, polishing it up, but oh how they crack.

Just given a safe place to put them, to show them, get them out into the light so they can be seen clearly.

Oh, what ugly monsters therein lurked.

Let them play, let them play.

I'm listening.

* * *

The Hulk's alter-ego's story told, the man's breath easier in his chest as he slept, Loki cracked open the door and moved silent through the hallways.

He heard Steve before he saw him; the dampened thuds of fists into punching bags.

It was hanging up in the soldier's room—he must have brought them.

When greeted with a meow, the mortal glanced over at him, lips pursed in memories lifting into a smile as now came down with a crash, leveling the past so it was clear where it lay on the floor, sticking up like gravestones that impeded thoughts with an image, a voice.

So many, many ghosts.

People always said they were supposed to be transparent, in shades of chrome—not technicolor.

But when seventy years ago was just the other day?

Steve remembers; it's clouded in the blue eyes.

Sweat drips down the man's face, and he grabs a towel, wiping it across his brow, as he begins unwind some cream cloth from his hands.

Loki lets his muscles coil and launch him up to the top of a chair, one paw in front of the other along the back, he leans out, licks the man's arm.

Salty.

Steve chuckles, rubbing between the black ears affectionately.

Do feel the stings lessen when you give, or when you receive?

What has he done to deserve gentle touches—warmth, cold, secrets.

They smile so when they see him, and he knows not why.

Is it the fur?

His mew is touched with concern, that tone an animal has when they can tell thoughts and feelings are unsettled and being laid out to burn.

Softly, softly, a candle flame—show me.

A bonfire burns, but a fireplace warms.

Steve sighs, and Loki can tell the man has brushed his teeth with that Midgardian paste that stinks of mint, almost artificially so, the potency stinging.

Eye-watering.

"Training helps," Steve says, gesturing to the punching bag. "The memories of the war, of the people who are gone now, except that I'm not—and they're in my head.

"I missed my date, too."

Such a foreign thing for a god, that evident hand of mortality.

They learn to live it.

They all know they come to an end, sooner rather than later.

At least then mourning does not go on forever.

"When I found you in that alley, I couldn't help but think of myself. I wasn't always so... physically strong. I used to have a hoard of health problems, and I was tiny. Weak.

"But I never could stand bullies. I got beat up in many a back alley."

The man spoke on, Loki crawling over to his lap, letting the sweaty fingers rub circles in his fur, carefully, considerately avoiding the bandages.

Loki let his eyes closed, but purred, saying, I'm awake, I'm listening.

Talk.

The silence would be ringing, and sleep would be fleeing grasp like wind—sometimes it felt so insubstantial, an unreal thing, the idea of rest.

Never, never alone.

Dreams are oft naught but war.

* * *

Time slipped by like the shadow of a cat, slinking along the walls and gliding over the floor.

Loki left the soldier with his eyes closed, mind peacefully rid of guns and explosions, at least for moments.

The self-proclaimed genius was still in the lab, messing around on one of the screens, seemingly testing a game where a spaceship was attacked by some tentacled sea creature that Loki knew for a fact existed only in the Midgardians' fiction.

The serpent would have eaten it.

Loki found himself on the man's shoulder, eyes intent on the screen.

This hacking business was interesting—a language, commands, bending the computer systems to one's will.

Such simple words.

Bright spaceships that spat sparkles, too tempting—bat bat.

An explosion—the sea creature exploded?

"I can't believe it!" Tony muttered, more to himself than anything, but talking to oneself was often exacerbated when there was a silent presence to hear it.

"Rogers; that's guy my father was always going on about?"

The man typed something on the screen, fingers flicking with unhidden contempt, spidery scurrying in ten-legged dances.

Fluent in how many languages?

Python—coiling strings of zeros and ones.

"My father was always going off to look for him too. He found the tesseract while looking for Captain America."

A pause, years of disgust and desperation simmering on his tongue, coating it bitter.

"It was always like I was never good enough.

"And I built my first engine when I was eight! Eight!"

Loki rubbed his head against the man's ear, the purr felt more as a vibration than heard as a sound—it needed not travel on the airwaves.

So high above the rest of his race, so far ahead, a glance backwards and the clouds of their dust are just barely visible in the distance—none could keep up, not with a mind like that.

Oh try me, try me, but as steps quicken there's a stumble, something more, always more.

Racing so far ahead, but never fast enough.

Never good enough.

Equations of numbers computing in his head, but they don't add up.

But they always add up.

Fingers are flying now across the screen as the man's voice charges on, letting go of long nights spent alone with nobody else home, robots whirring, almost with emotion, almost a friend.

Gone, always gone, and pencil tips break and text books are found sadly lacking and wrong—always wrong.

There was a cave.

Blood, shrapnel, violence...

Why did the humans insist on killing each other so?

It really wasn't a wonder they were regarded so lowly amongst the Realms, when they were so quarrelsome among themselves. They could achieve so much more united.

The violence, the killing—pointless.

Merchant of Death, and he'd only recently realized what it meant, what there was and what there wasn't.

He unzipped his jacket to show the blue glow of the arc reactor.

Shiny.

Loki put a paw on it, feeling it hum.

He batted it, and the man laughed, zipping his shirt back up.

Iron Man, born from the flames of the of a death, emerged anew.

* * *

The billionaire crashed on the couch.

Loki found Natasha creeping the hallways much like himself, sleep evading her as well, dark circles beneath her eyes, looking wrong on the fair, rounded face.

Loki fell into step behind her, gave a soft mew.

Pick me up! (The floor's cold—seeping through his paws. His bones. It felt so wrong.)

A lie? Is this a lie? A trick?

Should he feel guilty about all this?

But no, manipulation was his way, and it had carved itself into his sharp features, a glint you trusted but knew you shouldn't.

She didn't know.

If she did? If any of them did?

Would they run? Hide? Lash out?

Nothing, nothing to do with him.

So. Much. Red.

Natasha picked him up, holding him so his head was on her shoulder.

Like a child.

Sometimes he felt such like a child.

"I worry for Clint," she voiced finally, voice quavering ever slightly. "The Other controlling him... I have to do something.

"I owe him a debt, you know."

Loki nuzzled her softly, comfortingly.

Whisper, whisper, tell me.

Tell me.

Warmth, so it's apparent, obvious there's no glass, no lens to cause distortions.

"Before I came to Shield, I made a name for myself. I got on their radar in a bad way.

"Clint was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

Oh, but there was so much background there—bloodied and shadowed, and it never quite washes from your hands, does it?

(I know—I've tried.)

"Can you keep a secret?" She asks.

Loki could ever keep secrets; his mind was no doubt one of the safest places to house them.

Thanos had never gotten any out of him, after all.

They were everywhere, and if he was ever forced to voice them, the myriad of it would turn it to a scream, fleshed out with choked up emotion.

It catches in his throat.

It catches there, and he swallows it, feeling it settle inside with a soft hiss, a susurrus of the wind chasing itself through empty-branched trees, bare-boned and bleached pale.

She tells him secrets, and he loves the taste.

If she knew his, would she tell him still?

Her ledger is dripping red, yet surely it's better than his, pales next to his.

If he were to be himself, long, willowy limbs and deathly pale, would they trust him the way they do?

"You know," she says, after her secrets are spilled and her story told, Clint's story told, "It would be kind of funny if Thor were actually right, and you are his brother."

It takes all his self-control not to go rigid with dread.

"But I realize that even if you were, I wouldn't really mind.

"Loki sounds like my kind of guy."

* * *

He's brimming with tales, truths that twist and turn inside him, upsetting his stomach as he digests them, considering, pondering, thinking.

Loki drags himself to a door, hesitates but a moment.

He shakes himself, fur fluffing out as he rids himself of the shadows that seem to cling to him like cobwebs, before walking straight through the door and into the chamber beyond.

There's a bed, and Loki leaps onto it, padding over to the mind that rises and falls gently beneath the covers.

_Thor. _

The thunderer starts, blue eyes opening blearily.

Seeing the cat, Thor smiles, edged with sleep and laced with memories, as he holds up the covers.

Loki crawls under, nestling himself in Thor's arms.

In his brother's arms.

Just as the sky that envelops the Helcarrier is brightening from black to blue, a slowly healing bruise, Loki lets his eyes shut.

Just as morning steals the world, Loki lets himself sleep.

* * *

**Thank you all so much for your outstanding support! You make staying up extra late writing totally worth it ;) **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! **

**(Your favorite part? Least favorite part? A line you liked? Something you were confused about? A thought on what was going through the character's heads? [Directed at my sister, whose birthday present this story is, and apparently she never knows what to write in a review or what to tell me about the chapter *pointed look* Come on love, give me something o_o Please?]) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sometime during writing this story I switched from past tense to present tense. Oops.**

* * *

A small aircraft comes zipping, hovering around the Helicarrier like a fly around a horse.

The back slowly lowers, and a man steps forward, knocking an arrow in the bow he holds steady.

He glances with bright blue eyes tiredly rimmed with red, measuring the speed and direction of the wind, before he tilts the weapon and lets the arrow fly.

It looks, for a moment, as if it will miss.

Only for it to be swept by the wind and hit target perfectly.

His fingers brace on the detonation button.

* * *

Thor drifts back into wakefulness slowly, feeling more content, more whole than he has in a long time.

His naturally blue eyes blinking away the sleep that crusts his blond eyelashes, he glances down at the black cat curled in his arms, tail covering the dark nose.

Thor smiles.

He smiles, and the joy fills him like a breath he'd been unknowingly holding.

Loki's still here.

Still here, with him.

He feels like he's been smiling more in the last couple days than he had in the past year.

_What are you looking at? _

Those green eyes are staring at him now, blinking slowly, once, twice.

"You," Thor says, smile turning to a simper as he blinks back. "Good morn, Brother."

Loki sneezes, and it causes Thor to laugh.

"Your sneeze still sounds the same, you know," The thunderer comments with a chortle.

Loki glares at him.

"What? You're as adorable as a cat as you are in your normal form," Thor defends himself.

_Adorable? _Loki says indignantly. _Adorable?! I'd like to see you call me adorable as a Frost Giant, when my skin is cerulean and my eyes crimson. _

"Try me sometime," Thor says, stroking the cat's ears.

_Oh? Whatever happened to the Jotuns being monsters? _Loki challenged.

Though he didn't paw Thor's hand away, the thick fingers continuing to rub his coat.

_Quit that remorseful expression. It's sickening. _

"Oh Loki," Thor shakes his head. "I've changed."

He smirks suddenly, almost impishly. "And you'll always be adorable to me, Little Brother."

_Not if I turn into a snake—a poisonous one. _

He pauses, before adding: _And bite you. _

"I have missed your raillery, Brother," Thor grins. He can't seem to get a smile off his face—it shifts and quirks, but it never fades.

_I jest not. _

"Of course."

_...I ought to swat you for that. _

"Perhaps you ought."

_You're impossible. _

The smile breaks open, and Thor laughs.

_Idiot. _

"Ever the charmer, Brother," the thunderer says, as he yawns involuntarily, reaching his arms up over his head as he stretches. "Only you can make such derisive names sound droll."

_And only you would take them as such. _

Thor rubs the cat on the head affectionately, before swinging his legs out of the bed, wearing a pair of too-small sweat pants that he'd borrowed from the supersoldier.

As Thor changes back into his Asgardian outfit, Loki claws at the bandages that are still wrapped around his body, managing to get them all off.

They were itchy, and he was in need of them no longer, now that he was healed.

All of a sudden, the whole Helcarrier shakes, the sound of an explosion echoing through the halls, sounding from the direction of Engine 3.

"What was that?!" Thor asks, alarmed.

Loki growls. _I should have known an attack would be inevitable. _

* * *

Clint drops down into the Helicarrier, waiting for those agents with him.

"Make sure the engine stays down," he orders two of them. To the others, he says "Follow me. We have something to find."

There's a hitch in his stride, his eyes seeming almost to flicker slightly, before he continues on.

* * *

Bruce had been getting his morning tea when the explosion went off.

It was a caffeinated green tea; his favorite.

And as the ground gave in beneath him, he found himself tumbling down, his tea spilling all over his new shirt.

He'd been rather fond of it that one.

Too bad it was now in tatters on the floor.

Oh, somebody was going to _pay. _

* * *

Thor hears the roar of the Hulk—the onomatopoeia of ire, loud and guttural.

It rivals that which has often ripped itself from his lips, he thinks.

And people complain that he has trouble controlling his anger.

_Go, _Loki says, from the floor beside the thunderer. _Distract him so he doesn't tear this place apart. I'll be there in a bit. _

The cat sprinted off, leaving Thor to make his way quickly to the where the sounds of crashing and smashing echoed from.

* * *

Steve had already been wearing his spangly outfit, Tony had noted, when he encountered the man in the lab.

Didn't the man have other clothes? Something less, well... garishly spangly?

"Good morning Stark," the Captain greeted.

"No, not good. There's no decent coffee on this ship," Tony had answered, annoyed. There was a mug of the black stuff in his hands; he'd brought it to his lips, only to splutter, sticking his tongue out slightly as he made a face. "This stuff tastes like—"

He was cut off by a bang of the detonation kind, and the two men were flung to the ground, shattered glass falling around them, Tony's coffee flying from his hands.

"Good riddance," Tony muttered, coughing from the dust. "I was intending to throw that across the room anyway. Now at least I have an excuse."

"Save the quips for later," Steve said, getting to his feet and helping up the billionaire. "It might be a good idea to put on the suit."

Tony agreed, and they both rushed out of the room.

* * *

Natasha had been catching a few moments of shuteye, draped in the embrace of a particularly comfy chair, when she'd been jolted awake by the explosion.

Well of _course _there would be an attack just as soon as she'd finally managed to snatch some rest.

Needless to say, as she hurries towards the bridge, she's not in the best of moods.

At least she would be able to take it out on someone.

Or someones.

* * *

"Stark!" Steve cries, looking out through the gaping hole in the Helicarrier. "Stark, I'm here!"

"Good," Iron Man says, flying over. "Let's see what we got."

He hovers, his suit analyzing the damage. "We've got to get the super-conducting cooling system back online, before it can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris," he mumbles to himself.

He pushes something back into place, before turning to look at the Captain.

"I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position," he orders, pointing it out with a metal gloved hand.

Steve nods, squinting against the sun and wind, before swinging his arms for momentum and leaping forward, swinging off a bar that jutted out and landing where Stark had pointed, as the genius dislodges pieces of metal and flies out of view.

"What's it look like in there?" he asks over intercom.

Steve pulls the panel out, looking at it. It was glowing—wires and lines of neon green.

"It seems to be running on some form of electricity," The soldier says, gesturing with his right hand in a manner that suggests he has no idea what he was looking at, or what he was supposed to be looking for. "And it's glowing green, if that indicates anything."

"Well, you're not wr—" Tony starts, only to pause. "What do you mean it's _green?"_

"All the wires and such—"

"Yes yes, but it should to be red and orange," Iron Man berates.

"I'm not color blind, if that's what you're suggesting," Steve says, shoving the panel away. "But the relays seem to be intact. What's our next move?"

* * *

Thor pushes himself to his feet, the Hulk roaring at him angrily, after being crashed into and smashed through a wall.

He swings first one fist, than the other, Thor easily dodging both, before landing a solid blow on the Hulk's jaw, sending him spinning around, only to come back immediately with fists flying.

He slams one down at the thunder god, who blocks the blow with his arms, matching the Hulk's strength as the beast tries to slam him into the floor.

"We are not your enemies, Banner," Thor grinds out. "Try to think!"

Hulk replies by punching him in the face, sending him flying back into some sort of metal boxes.

Thor lands on the other side of the aircraft hanger in a crouch, lifting a hand to wipe his nose, glancing down to see if there's any blood.

There isn't.

Tendrils of his shoulder-length blond hair falling into his face, he holds out his right hand, fingers flexed.

For a few moments nothing happens, and then Mjolnir flies into his waiting grasp, just as the Hulk charges him, and he swings the hammer around into the beast's jaw, knocking him backwards and into a jet.

The Hulk gets to his feet and roars, before ripping off the metal wing and sending it towards the thunder god, who avoids it by sliding on his knees and leaning backwards slightly, head tilted like he's doing the limbo.

He stands up smoothly, reeling his right arm back to throw the hammer.

The Hulk reaches out to grab it, only for it to collide with his hand, sending him forcefully back and to the ground.

He tries in vain to lift it up, both hands on the handle, muscles straining, feet digging into the floor as he growls and grits his teeth.

"Meow?"

The Hulk stops, staring at the small creature that was now rubbing itself against the green legs, purring.

"...Kitty?" the Hulk says uncertainly, voice gruff. He lets go of the hammer and, as an apprehensive thunder god watches, took the small, skinny cat in a large hand, lifting it up to look at it closer.

"Kitty safe?" he asks again.

"Meow," the cat answers, as if in affirmation.

The Hulk makes to stroke the animal's head, only to notice the delicate bones easily visible through the dark fur, and thought better of it.

He sets the cat down as he began to shrink, his skin losing the green color and returning to normal.

In a few moments, Bruce Banner stands before the two gods, holding onto his pants.

The man glances around, noting the damage uneasily.

"Hey," he manages weakly. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Thor shakes his head, saying,"You didn't cause so much as a bloody nose."

Bruce breaths a sigh of relief.

"And I'm back, why?" There was confusion written in the man's features, as if he was trying to remember through a haze of chaotic flashes, like trying to understand a high-speed action scene, where the cuts are all over place.

"Lo—Kitty calmed you down," Thor answers. "The 'Other Guy' was quite fond of him, it seems."

"Speaking of Kitty," Bruce says with a frown, eyes searching the wrecked aircraft hanger, "Where did he go?"

* * *

Natasha makes her way to the bridge just in time to see, amid the gunshots and grenade smoke, two arrows fired in quick succession.

They find their near impossible marks, and there's a beeping as the screens in the room go dark one by one.

"There's been an engine failure in Engine 1," Maria Hill calls out, even as the Helicarrier begins tipping, falling out of the sky.

Natasha sees the man, peeking through a slit in the wall, before he disappears.

"I'll get Agent Barton," she announces over her intercom, as she hurries after him.

* * *

Loki knows that the intruders were looking for his whereabouts—however they didn't know he was there on the Helicarrier at this very moment, and they would certainly never know he was a cat.

He creeps along now, watching as Clint Barton walks along a dim corridor, Natasha falling right into his footsteps so smoothly it's difficult to hear that there's more than one set of footfalls.

Clint whirls around even as he notches an arrow and draws his bow, Natasha grabbing it so the projectile flies past her face.

They're good, the god notes, as they spin and kick, almost in a dance.

They slide and jump between the walkways, using any means to get an advantage over the other.

Loki concentrates on that mind—the one crackling over with blue.

The control is messily done, he can tell. It's bending his emotions and loyalties, but there's discontent there, uncertainty; the blue a messily tied bow around a carelessly wrapped package.

The paper would be full of tears, as it were, tape visible all over, but so, so flimsy.

Natasha could probably undo it with a good hit to the head—cognitive recalibration.

However that wasn't strictly needed, and it would be quicker and easier if he simply did it his way.

So Loki unties the strings with a touch of green, wipes away the blue like it was naught but frost on a window.

Clint falls backward as he came to himself, gasping, eyes draining of blue, becoming black holes, before that dissipates to reveal their natural gray.

He groans, clutching his head.

"Tasha?" He asks, blinking.

She stares down at him coolly.

"Go ahead and slap me," the man offers. "I rather deserve it, don't I?"

* * *

The small aircraft pulls away from the Helicarrier, heading back toward their lair.

One of the agents holds an arrow, the one that had landed squarely in a computer USB slot, now containing all Shield's information.

* * *

**A lot of bits from the movie there - I hope it wasn't too boring o_o It was kind of necessary though... if only for the reason that they needed Clint back... **

**And of course, I am extremely grateful to all you amazing readers for your incredible support! :D You keep me writing! And have once again kept me up late in order to finish the chapter and post it XD**

**Please review and let me know what you think? =^.^=**


	10. Chapter 10

**Third chapter in a row I've stayed up past 3:00am to finish writing. I need to stop starting so late. I think it's starting to wear on me. **

**Needless to say, I have some doubts about this chapter. After I finished writing it I honestly considered just deleting it and rewriting the chapter tomorrow... so I almost didn't post this. But then I thought that maybe since it's so late I'm simply being needlessly insecure, so I figured I'd at least give it a chance...  
**

* * *

Following the attack everyone convenes on the bridge.

Natasha supports a shaky Clint, the man still holding a hand to one red cheek.

Tony had taken his suit off and deposited it in his rooms, grumbling about how it had gotten banged up when he got caught in the engine, while Steve sighs exasperatedly.

Bruce and Thor arrive last, the former still shirtless and holding onto his pants.

They both look harried.

"Has anyone seen Lo—Kitty?" Thor asks desperately.

The others shake their heads, confused.

"He was right there, and then he was gone," Thor says with a worried expression, holding his hammer as if for comfort, though it could do nothing for him in this situation.

"We can't find him," Bruce sums up.

Steve chews his lip. "Where did you see him last?"

"The aircraft hanger," Bruce answers, pulling up his pants as they started slipping down.

"But he could be anywhere by now," Thor points out.

Loki's practically a speed demon, after all.

"Right," Steve says, proceeding to split them into search parties and gave each of them a designated are to look.

"Where do you think you're all going?" Fury had demanded when he walked over and saw them scattering.

They hadn't deigned to answer him.

"Who is this Kitty?" Clint asks Natasha, as the two of them head down towards the aircraft hanger.

"A black kitten that Steve found, beaten in a back alley," Natasha explains, as they reach the hanger, raising impressed eyebrows at the destruction Thor and the Hulk had wrought.

"He's too adorable for his own good. We're all rather fond of him."

"I always knew you had a soft spot for animals," Clint says, only to get an elbow in the ribs.

They search every nook and cranny of the are, making soft calling noises, but they don't find him.

"Should I check the air vents?" Clint offers. "Perhaps he got scared by all the fighting and hid up there?"

"I highly doubt it," Natasha says. "But you can try, I guess."

Clint finds the nearest entrance and climbs up.

Several minutes later of methodical searching of the air vents, and Clint still hasn't found a cat.

He has, however, found some strange markings beneath one of his "Clint was here" signatures.

That might have been disturbing, had he the capacity to be even more disturbed than he is already, his time under The Other's control shadowing his thoughts.

* * *

Thor is getting extremely desperate now.

He's searched his designated area, and beyond that, and is considering running through the hallways and shouting for his brother, when he hears something behind him, like a flapping of wings.

He turns, his mouth falling open.

"Loki?" He asks. "Why have you caught Huginn?"

The black cat looks up at him, before sitting on his haunches, the equally black raven that is practically as large if not larger than he is still in his jaws.

The raven caws indignantly.

_He was spying on us, _Loki says, his tone sounding a snarl in Thor's head. _And talk in your head, so that he can't hear us! _

**But isn't spying what he's supposed to do?** Thor says pointedly, complying to Loki's request despite not understanding it.

_Huginn can't be allowed to report our whereabouts back to Odin! _

Thor winces. **How come? Hasn't Heimdall probably done so already?**

_I've shielded us from Heimdall's gaze, _Loki answers. _I can't do the same for Huginn and Muninn, seeing as they're actually on Midgard. At least Muninn hasn't found us yet... _

**Why don't you want Odin to know our whereabouts?** Thor questions, baffled. **Although, I'm not fond of the idea of him knowing what's going on myself... **

_Odin can't know because he is an old fool, and would no doubt play right into Thanos's plan, _Loki snaps.

Thor looks hopeful. **You know Thanos's plan? **

Loki is saved from having to answer by Tony walking in on their silent conversation.

"Dude!" Tony exclaims, glancing between the god and two black animals. "Why didn't you tell us you'd found him? And why does Kitty have a huge black bird in his mouth?"

"I'm sorry," Thor apologizes. "I lost the gadget you gave me. And that 'huge black bird' is Huginn, who is one of Odin Allfather's two ravens, who fly around Midgard and then tell him what they've seen."

Tony stares for a moment. "Right..." he manages, before telling the others over the intercom that Kitty has been found.

"Why don't we make our way back to the lab," Tony suggests. "And you can better explain there what the hell is going on."

* * *

The others are already gathered in the lab when Thor, Tony, and Kitty come in.

"Kitty, this is Clint," Tony introduces, pointing from the cat to the archer, who is sprawled on the couch. "Clint, the cat is Kitty, and he's brought you a feathered friend. Maybe you two can share a nest or something."

"Stark," Natasha says warningly.

Tony just winks at her, remaining unphased.

"Thor will explain, because I have no idea what's up with the bird," Tony says.

Huginn squawks, fluttering his wings as he tries, not for the first time, to escape the cat's hold.

It doesn't work, and he stops, seeming to realized that he is well and truly stuck.

Thor takes a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain without mentioning that the cat is Loki, knowing that if he does than they none of them will believe him.

_Cats are special creatures, _Loki offers. _Use that as an excuse if you'd like. They're also hunters, and Huginn was practically begging to be caught, swooping down the way he did. _

_Only that he didn't know he was I was there, and that I would catch him. _

_If he did know, I would have known, and I wouldn't have caught him in the first place. _

_Devious beasts, ravens. You can't trust them. _

_They're quite intelligent, though. And fun to talk to occasionally. _

**Are you TRYING to make this difficult for me? **Thor says, glaring at the cat.

_Maybe. Can you find a cage or something? Huginn's feathers taste like bifrost dust. It's not pleasant. _

Thor groans audibly, head leaning back to look at the ceiling in exasperation.

_I would offer to do the talking, only I'm afraid that wouldn't work out to well. _

"Would you stop it?" Thor says, face flushing when he realizes he spoke aloud. "Sorry friends," he apologizes as the humans look glance at each other, trying to figure out which one of them was doing something to annoy the god.

_I would be facepalming right now, only I think it would look suspicious if I did that as a cat. Also Huginn's in my face, so that makes it difficult as well. _

**Loki, **Thor grinds out, in his head this time.

_That's my name, yes. _

Thor takes a deep, calming breath, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Dude are you alright?" Tony asks, breaking the silence that he'd deemed awkward. "'Cause you look like you're having an argument inside your head."

"You're more correct than you might think," Thor mutters, opening his eyes. "I am truly sorry. I simply know not where to start."

"Well, why don't you start by telling them what you told me," Tony suggests, ever helpful. "You know, about it being Hogun or whatever."

"Huginn," Thor corrects. "It's Old Norse, probably the equivalent to your English word 'thought.' Hogun is actually a comrade of mine."

"Go on," Natasha prods.

Thor tries to explain.

* * *

In the end, they decided it would be best to put the raven in the cage that was meant for the Hulk, nobody having liked the idea of some King of Asgard knowing everything that had gone on there.

Thor had tried talking to Huginn, but the raven had refused to talk while in the cat's jaws.

"Whatever happened to you wanting to save your brother?" Steve asks Thor curiously, as he, Bruce and Tony parade to the cage, Kitty still holding the bird. (Natasha had stayed behind with Clint, the man still recovering.)

Thor purses his lips, eyes darting away. "He's communicated with me, in my head," Thor admits. "At the present moment, Loki doesn't need saving."

"Really? What's the guy up to?" Tony asks, joining in the conversation, like always.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you," Thor says. "He's made me swear to secrecy."

"Boohoo," Tony pouts.

"You don't think there's anything important we should know?" Bruce inquires reasonably.

"You will be informed when the time is right," Thor assures, as they come to the glass cage.

_It seems you've gotten better at lying, _Loki comments.

**It's not lying—it's technically the truth, only missing some minor details, **Thor points out.

_Lies are often grounded by that which is true. You would do well to remember that, Odinson. _

Thor's tries not to shiver at Loki's words, and what they potentially entail. **Don't call me that, **he says instead.

_My my, have you truly joined me in my rebellion? _

**You are first and foremost my Brother, Loki. If Odin does not acknowledge you as his son, I refuse to acknowledge him as my Father. **

_Sentiment. _

"So you said this raven talks?" Tony says, unknowingly interrupting the brother's internal conversation. "And you're going to attempt conversation with it?"

"Aye," Thor affirms. He gently coaxes the bird from Kitty's jaws, taking Huginn into the cage, Bruce having opened the door.

Huginn perches on Thor's arm, the glass door sliding closed again.

An Agent had lined the cage with towels upon hearing about their plan.

Fury had, for obvious reasons, not been happy at having to house the raven, as well as having the cat.

"Are you all set on having pets?" he'd snapped. "This is a professional operation!"

"We understand," Thor had assured the man. "This is only a temporary measure, I promise."

Fury had nonetheless stalked off grumbling.

But who could argue with a god?

Especially one who was well over six feet tall, ridiculously ripped, was impervious to bullets, and carried around a magical hammer and sword.

Huggin chatters at the thunder god.

"Huginn wants your words that you will not drop him several thousand feet in this glass cage," Thor relays.

"He can have it," Tony shrugs. "Ravens have to have civil rights too, I'm sure."

"I don't think anyone will drop him," Steve says, Bruce nodding.

The raven eyes them with its beady black eyes, before turning back to Thor, its feathers puffing up as it caws at him.

Kitty watches, the tip of his tail twitching.

Thor frowns at the raven. "I don't understand how Odin can put up with you," he says.

Kitty sneezes.

"You know, I think I wish I could understand what the bird's saying," Tony chuckles, watching with obvious interest as the thunder god talks to the raven, looking every bit a deranged person.

The long blond hair and Renaissance Fair outfit certainly didn't help either.

* * *

"Find out everything you wanted to know?" Natasha asks, as four men return to the lab, Kitty riding on Steve's shoulder.

Bruce immediately heads over to open a can of cat food (not tuna) while he mumbles to himself about severe malnourishment.

The cat leaps easily from the soldier's shoulder to the table, beginning to eat the food before Bruce can spoon it out onto a dish, causing the doctor to sigh in exasperation.

"No," Thor answers, absently watching Kitty eat. "Huginn hadn't found The Other's lair."

**Why didn't you let Huginn be, so he could follow the aircraft back to their base? **Thor asks Loki.

The cat doesn't look up, doesn't even twitch a muscle.

_Even if he'd managed to follow them there and bring the information to Odin, what would the old man have done with it? It surely wouldn't have benefit us. _

_Besides, Huginn agreed to help me with something. _

**I don't suppose you're going to tell me what that is, are you? **

_Not a chance. _

Having finished the food, Kitty looks up, meowing at Bruce.

That man obediently gets him another can.

_I like these humans. _

**Loki... **Thor starts, frowning, only to shake his hair into his face as Loki's light laughter rings through his head.

* * *

**Um... not too bad, I hope? (You know, I do my author notes in bold to differentiate it from the story, but now that I'm doing Thor's thoughts in bold...) **

**But I am extremely grateful to all you readers for your amazing support! :D And I am so, so sorry I didn't get around to replying to all your reviews D: I got rather distracted... by the videos of Tom as Loki at Comic Con, which a couple of you lovely people told me about... oh my gods, he's AMAZING! O_O I watched the videos of him over, and over, and over, and ended up with a one-shot idea I just had to write, so I wrote and posted that fic right before I started writing this chapter. The story's titled "Call Him Loki" if you're interested :) **

**Please let me know what you think of the chapter? And/or you can rant about the awesomeness that is Tom Hiddleston cosplaying as Loki at Comic Con. I'm totally open to ranting ;3**


	11. Chapter 11

**Maybe I should just not talk and let you get on with reading the chapter XD**

* * *

Kitty's green eyes intent on his prey, they flick back and forth, as he stalks forward, tail swishing, sharp shoulder blades looking as if they're about to tear through his black coat.

"So, do we have to feed this raven of yours, Thor?" Tony asks, as he frowns at one of the screens, showing the progress of tracking the tesseract.

There hasn't been significant progress.

At least they know that the penguins and polar bears aren't being zapped by blue glowsticks of doom.

Thor glances up from where he's teasing Kitty with the toy, and the cat shoots forward like he was shot from the archer's bow.

_Huginn likes fish, _Loki supplies, the feathers tied the end of the string clutched tight in his claws.

Thor grabs a can of tuna cat food, tossing it to the billionaire as answer.

Suddenly there's a shout from the bridge.

"WHAT THE HELL?! A GIANT OCTOPUS JUST DEVOURED MY SHIP! A FUCKING OCTOPUS!"

Tony chuckles to himself, and Kitty rubs against the man's ankles, purring.

"A giant octopus is eating this ship?" Thor asks in complete bafflement.

"Wouldn't we feel that?" Steve points out, equally nonplussed. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we were still on the water. But we're flying right now."

The two blonds glance at each other, then at the brunette who's still laughing.

"The Agent is playing Galaga," Tony says.

"It's a digital game," Bruce explains, looking at Steve and Thor sympathetically, from where he's sitting on the couch next to Clint, trying to get the stubborn man to put some salve on his bruises. "It's not real."

"Even in a game I wouldn't let a beast destroy my ship!" Thor proclaims. "I would smite the creature!"

Tony smirks, saying "Not this baby. Starkraken is practically invincible. Although I'm not that evil—it does have a weakness. Not that the Agent will ever figure it out."

"Wait, the octopus is a baby?" Steve asks, eyebrows coming together as he leans back against the table. "The Agent is being defeated by a baby octopus?"

Tony facepalms.

"The creature's weakness would be its eyes, which are most likely rather small," Thor declares. He kneels down, the cat walking over to rubs his dark head against the large hand. "I'm guessing you have to hit the eyes in specific order—first the left, and then the right."

Tony's jaw drops open. "How did you know that?!"

"I've fought my fair share of beasts," Thor says, standing up with Kitty in his arms, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "And I know you enjoy infuriating Fury, and it would be ironic if the octopus lost the same eye he did."

"How—"

"My father has an eye patch as well, you know; he lost his right eye. It had ever been an inside joke among my brother and I to try to take down creatures by stabbing them in their right eye," Thor says with a chortle.

_Odin used to hate that, _Loki remarks.

Tony glares at the god, annoyed he'd figured that out so easily, and had the same idea probably centuries earlier. He crosses his arms and turns away, huffing.

"Sore you've been outsmarted by the god of jocks?" Clint banters, from where's draped along half the couch, right arm and leg dangling over the edge.

"Shut up bird brain," Tony retorts, throwing a frozen blueberry at the archer. "You're sore that you didn't figure out, with all your so-called observation skills and ability to recognize patterns."

Steve interrupts before Clint can respond to that. "I've recognized a pattern here," the soldier says.

"And what is that?"

Kitty scrambles down from Thor's arms, pouncing on the feathers, kicking them around with his paws, meowing.

"That you're all acting like children—" Steve pauses, looking down.

The cat mews, staring up with large green eyes that practically scream _I'm bored, play with me!_

Steve sighs, smiling, picking up the want and beginning to make the feather creature dart along the ground.

The others watch in amusement as Kitty chases it, jumping up, snatching, only to lose it again, and run after it in a circle, before stopping to sit on his haunches and watch, then shooting forward again.

"Who's acting like a child now?" Tony smirks.

* * *

Following in the footsteps of night, Loki hops onto the couch, nudging a dozing Clint with his nose.

He climbs onto the man's shoulder, batting gently at the short brown hair, as he searches the mortal mind for any lasting traces of blue.

He brushes away what cobalt dust lingers in forgotten corners, and is pleased to see that the surgical stitches of the mind-control have left no scars.

Leaping onto the arm of the couch, he glances back, wondering if perhaps he should blur the memories ever slightly, to ease the sting of the sharp, jagged glass edges that fringed them.

He decides against it and moves on.

Accidentally stumbling upon a stick of butter that was left on a counter, he knocks it to the floor, chasing it around, till it overheats and melts away to nothing but a slippery coating on the tile.

He spares a few moments to clean the stuff from his fur, and once he's again pristine, he wanders on.

Oh, he wanders, lapping up the silence—it fizzles with the bittersweet tang of dreams that drift from sleeping minds, like a strange combination of strawberry-rhubarb and aluminum.

Trying not to let the stifling aroma of it cling to him lest it slip down his throat and make him cough, he continues on, finding respite near the bottom of the ship, where the only scents are that of thoughts of rust and soft trickles of high-altitude air.

He leaps up onto the control panel, the doors to the cage sliding open with a soft _whir, _and the scents of bifrost dust and fish assault him, the raven in the cell flapping, sending an empty can of cat food skittering a few feet over the towels.

The raven flies out, landing beside the cat.

_Huginn, _Loki greets. _Ready to play a game? _

The black head bobs, a rough cackles rolling from the thick beak like sparks.

Loki could have smiled.

* * *

_Somewhere dark... _

Hela lounges in her throne, fair-skinned right hand tracing over one of the skulls in the armrest, while her left sits curled in her lap, pale bones held together by wires of decaying sinew.

She looks out over her realm, the forms of spectral ghosts flowing and melding together like an ocean of forgotten memories and forlorn cries.

Oh, but they are glorious, and not so discontent and some would think.

Do the Valkyries of Valhalla provide their subjects such games as chess?

Hela thinks not.

In the gloaming mists that settle eternal over her realm and soften the bite of flames, a black speck appears in the distance, trailing a contrail with the distinct rainbow shimmer of Yggdrasil's kiss.

Tired of sitting, Hela alights to her feet, folds of darkness hugging tight to her torso and falling in cascades around her legs like water, the fabric of the dress vacillating with the faces of tortured souls (an idea she'd borrowed from Hades.)

She found it amusing the way it disconcerted people.

Well, most people anyway.

There'd been one boy who'd complimented her on it, she remembers wryly—oh, but he was a green-eyed charmer, and their discourse had been one of her most enjoyable, shared over a couple cups of black tea.

Time has near no meaning in Helheim. It ebbs and flows like the tide, the consistency of the mortals' corn starch and water; you can run swiftly across its surface without, but if you pause, you'll sink and it can swallow you whole.

The raven, no longer a black speck, reaches her, perching on her arm, nails clasped around her bones.

"Huginn, what a surprise," Hela says, voice sibilant but pleasant. "I don't suppose you are here for you master."

The bird caws at her, a scroll dropping from its beak.

She catches it before it hits the ground, fingertips brushing over the soft green ribbon that held the parchment together, so the flimsy thing didn't unravel.

The raven hops off her arm and onto the back of her chair, as she pulls at the ribbon, the bow coming undone in her hands like a flower dying.

She opens it up and reads the elegant, lilting script, a side of her lips quirking.

That child is going to get himself killed one day, with his penchant for trouble.

She'll look forward to it.

But until then...

Hela plucks a feather from the indignant raven and deigns to comply, her ink the dark of aged blood, as she sweeps over to her desk, pilfering through the drawers for a piece of parchment on which to compose a reply.

When she's finished she removes the black ribbon from her hair, the sable tresses falling around her shoulders and tickling, tying the ribbon around the scroll and handing it to the raven, whispering a word, as Huginn takes off.

Of course it is Huginn—thought is so easily distracted, after all.

She lets the soft green ribbon fall to the floor, only to pick it up again sometime later, after getting tired of her hair drifting into her face, and uses the ribbon to tie it back.

The simple thing was a better present than any Thanos gives her.

* * *

_Somewhere darker..._

"Did you find the runt?" Thanos asks, not even needing to turn to know that The Other is shaking his head.

"We got the information, Master, everything about Shield. The Jotun isn't mentioned in a single file," The Other rasps.

"The craven hides," Thanos snorts. "I honestly can't say I'm surprised.

"But he has a sense of honor, and of vengeance. We will draw him out, and we need not go out of our way to do so."

The titan turns then, sending slate-gray pebbles skittering with his boots, pinning The Other to the emptiness behind him.

He descends the stairs, footfalls reverberating, but damply, like the moldy alter-ego of an echo.

"How is the progress of the portal?"

The Other places a sickly-colored hand against the rock wall, teeth baring as he speaks. "The human has finally managed to put together the runt's designs. All that is needed is a power source."

"Good," Thanos says, a conniving grin coating his blocky visage like paint, with a glutinous consistency, looking harder every moment to wipe away. "Make sure you hit them at their heart—divide and conquer. Make a scene, put on a show."

The Mad Titan gazes out, blue eyes distant, the same merciless smile still drying on his face.

"They'll never see it coming."

And oh, wouldn't Lady Death be pleased?

* * *

_Somewhere not so dark... _

Odin sits on his golden throne, looking like a weathered statue, impossibly still.

A single raven comes flapping through a window, circling to perch on his shoulder.

"Muninn," the Allfather acknowledges.

The raven whispers secrets in Odin's ear.

Odin listens, then frowns, the expression set with deep lines, not a stranger to his visage. "And where is Huginn?"

There's a throaty caw, a flutter of black feathers: the corvid equivalent of a shrug, before leaving the Allfather and flying back out the window set ajar, swooping over the gardens before taking off back towards Midgard.

Frigga glances up from where she strolls, noting the dark shape, before her gaze travels back to the flowers that seem to lean towards her, grasping at her skirt like young children.

She twirls a sprig of forget-me-nots between her fingers, the same color as the sky rimming the far east horizon, bleeding slowly into the night and chasing it away like finicky butterflies, and she sighs, sitting on the edge of a fountain, the faces of two young boys bringing her to tears, that drip and ripple her reflection.

Oh, what had happened to her sons?

She still remembers like it was yesterday the two of them chasing each other through the gardens as she watched, Loki tripping over a vine and Thor sweeping him up, tickling his little brother until the dark-haired boy finally punched him in the face.

She remembers the two of them freezing and staring at each other, astonished, before beginning to laugh, Thor setting his brother down, only to get pushed into the fountain.

Thor had come up spluttering, and promptly splashed the smaller boy.

Frigga knows things went bad somewhere, but she can't pinpoint the exact place.

And all she wants is her sons back. With her. Safe.

She wishes they were still children, and that she could keep them safe, hold them close against her and sing softly lullabies until their eyelids droop, and then tuck them into bed, where she knows they'll be in the morning.

* * *

**For clarification, Loki is not a father in this story, since I have trouble of imagining Loki from the movies as a father... and I think of Loki as being a bit younger in this story, even though it's like the same time as "Avengers" O.o Anyways, reasons aside, Hela is not Loki's daughter. She's a bit fond of him, though, I think. **

**Rascal: Thanks! But no, there will be no Natasha/Loki pairing in this story. Or any pairing, for that matter - there won't be any romance. All relationships are canon, so there might be suggestions of Tony/Pepper and Thor/Jane, but that's it. Sorry if I'm disappointing anyone. **

**And as always, thank you all so much for your support, loves! The response to this fic has been truly incredible *-* **

**I would be honored if you would leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm rather starting to enjoy this staying up past 3:00am writing thing. It's fun. **

* * *

Loki waits for Huginn to return.

Somewhat patiently.

His curiosity and talent for poking his nose into things had caused but one incident, that involved a bucket of paint he'd _accidentally_ (no really!) knocked over, all over the counter, the cupboards, the floor, and himself.

Not wanting to lick the stuff from himself, he'd tried to run it off, tracking red paw prints behind him, splatters dappling the floor and smudges on the wall from where he'd tried to rub it off.

Perhaps he shouldn't have investigated what the strange-smelling can was, and shouldn't have been so determined to open it.

And now he smelled strange too.

He couldn't decide whether it was better or worse than stinking of fish.

When Huginn finally flies up through the drop beneath the glass cage, Loki is sitting there in ubiquitous shadows, waiting.

The raven makes a soft sound, somewhere between a gurgle and a cackle, as he drops a scroll at the cat's feet.

Loki pulls at the black bow with a claw and it slips undone, fragile as frozen petals it shatters on the ground, the parchment rolling open to reveal Hela's handwriting, full of sharp, deliberate lines that nearly tear through the page.

_That's quite a risky gambit you're playing. But your reasoning is impeccable as always; your bargain weighty. I wouldn't expect anything less from you. _

_I accept your proposition, God of Mischief. _

_The expression on Thanos' face will be well worth it. _

Loki purrs, and the parchment bursts into emerald flames.

He watches the edges blacken, spreading towards the center like ruination wrought by war and leaving dead lands in its wake, as it slowly curls in on itself, crumbling to dark gray ash and blowing away into the sky, where the particles condense to water and join clouds.

Huginn caws, fluffing up his feathers. _Another game? _He asks, ever eager.

Oh, that raven was such a playful creature.

It was how Loki had gotten it to assist him in the first place.

He'd been on the landing pad of the Helicarrier, watching the jet take off, as the raven had practically dive-bombed him.

_Catch me if you can, Loki! _Huginn had cried, recognizing a fellow frolicsome troublemaker.

Odin had always had problems with that bird.

_I'll play Huginn, _Loki had agreed, even as he licked a paw and drew it pretentiously over a black ear. _But there must be terms. _

_Terms! _The raven had agreed.

_If I manage to catch you before we pass beneath the next cloud, you will do me a favor, _Loki had said, curling his tail around his feet.

_And if you can't catch me before then? _The raven had asked, fluttering closer and perching on a jet, cocking its head at the cat.

_Then I will do you a favor, _Loki had answered, licking his shoulder.

_Agreed, _Huginn had said, taking off into the air, hovering above him. _Go!_

Loki had humored the raven for a time, leaping up and swatting the empty air, letting the bird cry its taunts and flaunt its wings.

Just before they'd passed under the next cloud Loki had caught him, jumping at the raven who dodged and the cat collided with the wall, pushing off with his feet to grab Huginn midair with his teeth and claws, the two of them spiraling back down.

Hearing what the favor was, Huginn had been only too eager to help, loving a bit of acting, the offer of food and an excuse to ditch the Allfather—the old man was such a bore.

The raven looks at Loki expectantly now.

_Yes, another game, _he says. _Called be-sneaky-and-steal-shiny-stuff. You'd like that, yes? _

Thus two black creatures crept and hopped through the sleeping Helicarrier, collecting bits of string, wire, ribbons, beads, metal washers, hairpins and the like.

* * *

Natasha steps out of her room and freezes, for a moment her heart pounding like a fist against her ribs as she's the _red _smeared _everywhere—_all over the floor, the walls...

Her rationality returns however as she notices the shade is to bright and shiny to be blood, and the chemical scent of paint reaches her.

She registers the paw prints then, and follows them back to the lab, a can of paint on its side on the floor.

Her breathing slowly returns to normal, and she wipes a hand across her forehead, glancing down to see the sweat streaked there.

That crazy cat.

How in the world were they going to wipe away all this red? She thinks, shuddering at the thought of what her ledger must look like.

Can you? Can you wipe away That. Much. Red?

There's a drip of paint from the counter to the floor, and she hears the wet splat in the ringing silence she's sure must be in her ears.

Because the silence is quite literally _ringing. _

"Gave me quite a scare, all that red paint."

Natasha glances up to see Clint in the doorway, and she gives a tight-lipped smile. "Me too," she admits.

Bruce walks into the room then, looking a little green as he rubs some red paint between his fingers, sniffing them as if to make absolutely sure its not blood.

"Okay, who left a bucket of paint on the counter?" he asks.

The assassins both shake their heads, looking as perturbed as he does, eyes lowering to the floor as if their eyelashes could hide the shadows behind the colored depths.

"I don't know, but I'll slap them for you," Clint offers.

"Please don't," Tony says, entering the lab as well, frowning down at his now red socks. "It was me—I was touching up the scratches on my suit. Should've known better than to leave it out with that cat around," he admits, trying for a smile that isn't quite convincing.

"But at least he didn't knock over the gold paint," he tries for some optimism.

"I would've preferred the gold, personally," Bruce mutters. "Excuse me, I'll be back after I go get some tea," he says, before exiting the room, brushing against Steve.

"I think I almost had a panic attack when I opened my door," the soldier says, as he sets a plate stacked with waffles down on an unpainted section of the counter. "Breakfast anyone? I hope you haven't all lost your appetites... but I did bring the maple syrup instead of the berry jam," he continues, as he sets a pitcher down as well.

"I'll have some breakfast," Tony says, walking over and pulling a plate off the bottom of the stack, grabbing a couple of waffle and drenching them in syrup. "Did you make these?"

"I did," Steve smiles, trying to keep his pride tuned down. "Phil showed me how to this morning. I burnt the first batch, but then I got the hang of it."

"Thanks for making breakfast," Natasha says, as she swallows down her memories and then washes away the taste with maple waffles, Clint following suit, nodding to the soldier in gratitude.

Bruce came back into the room with his mug of tea, to find everyone sitting on the couch (one of the only places not covered in paint) and eating waffles.

"You've got to try these," Tony mumbles with his mouth full, gesturing at the waffles with his fork. "'Ey're delicious!"

Steve is just collecting everyone's plates to take them to the kitchen when the monitor that's tracking the tesseract starts twittering like a mechanical songbird.

Bruce hurries over to it as everyone's heads snap up, staring at him.

He removes his glasses as he looks at the screen, expression pulling shock, eyebrows knitting together even as his lips part slightly.

"Oh my god," he says, meeting their expectant gazes. "It's in New York."

* * *

Thor awakes in the morning with a black cat sitting on his chest, and a black raven hopping around his pillow, cackling as it messes with his hair.

"What are you two doing?" Thor demands, shooting to a sitting position and sending them both scattering.

He shakes his head to rid his mind of sleep's clutches, only to feel things woven into his hair knock against his skin, and he quickly gets up and stumbles over to the mirror, letting out a loud groan when he sees his reflection.

His shoulder-length blond hair is woven with ribbons and strung with beads and strange metal objects.

"Loki, you put Huginn up to this, didn't you?"

The cat rubs against his legs, purring, as Thor tries fruitlessly to get the stuff out of his hair.

He sighs, wondering if one of the humans will help him.

_Huginn thinks it looks wonderful on you, _Loki says, leaping up onto the bed to stare at the thunderer.

Thor's mouth pulls down in a frown as he turns to glare at the cat.

"And what do you think?" he dares to ask.

_I think your facial expression is hilarious. _

That only caused Thor to glower further, eyebrows lowering over his eyes as he crosses his arms over his bare chest.

Suddenly Loki's ears perk up, and Huginn utters a caw announcing his departure and that he better leave before Muninn gets too worried and sweeps out Thor's partly opened window, before there's a knock on the door.

"Thor!" Tony's voice calls. "Thor, get your ass out of bed! We've located the tesseract!"

Thor walks over and opens the door, the human almost crashing into him.

Tony's dark eyes are wide and alarmed, brown hair sticking up all over the place. He opens his mouth to speak, sees the thunder god, and then blinks.

"Dude, what is up with the hair? And a word to the wise: don't ever walk around in just sweatpants, because women will swamp you."

"Ah..." Thor stammers, face flushing.

"Never mind," Tony cuts him off flippantly, "Just suit up and meet us on the bridge. You can grab a waffle on the way."

"So," Clint says, cleaning his bow as he sits in one of the chairs on the bridge. He looks up at Fury. "Is there a reason why we're gathered here? Because I have unfinished business with an alien, and I'd really like to figure out whether he has eye sockets."

"I have to agree with bird boy here," Tony says as he walks into the room, suit-case in hand. "Less talk and more action. You're not going to try to give us a push, are you? Because I have mine already: Stark Tower is Pepper's baby. She'll kill me if anything happens to it," he explains. "I'd rather like to live, thank you very much."

Natasha comes in already in her catsuit, guns holstered at her sides.

"Nat?" Clint asks, looking at her with a confused expression. "What are you doing here? You're not really going to wade knee deep into a war..."

"I'm in," the Black Widow says curtly, leaving no room for questioning. But as she walks over to stand next to the archer, she says, so quietly only he can hear, "I've got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

He can practically see the red flash before her eyes, gaze cast down for but a moment, and he nods.

Bruce hurries onto the bridge next, followed closely by Thor.

"I'm sorry it took a few minutes," Bruce apologizes, reaching up to fiddle with his glasses only to remember he'd purposefully left them in his room. "I had to change into a shirt I didn't like quite so much."

"I will smite The Other for what he did to my brother," Thor declares, fingers twitching towards his hammer. He notices their raised eyebrows and adds: "And anyone who makes fun of my hair."

The other Avengers glance at the ribbons and metal washers, all wisely electing to say nothing to that.

"So what are you waiting for?" Agent Coulson asks, receiving a glare from Agent Hill which he ignores.

"Go kick some alien arse," he says, expression completely serious.

"You heard the man," Tony says, dropping his suit-case and flipping it open, stepping onto it, the mechanisms forming along his body like scales, clicking into place.

The faceplate drops.

"Let's move out."

* * *

Thanos stares out over the hundreds of ships of Chitauri, leviathans stirring restlessly against the backdrop of galaxies just begging to be conquered, as they hover around the mothership.

The Mad Titan waits for the portal to open with anticipation; once the battle on Midgard is fully raging, he can make his move against Asgard.

And there will be no thunder god to protect it.

* * *

**So now we know a bit about what Thanos is up to... just a little bit... (well, it's obvious to me, since I'm the author... I'm not quite sure how much I've given away though...) **

**And of course, thank you myriads for all your support! (I apologize for not being able to reply to all your lovely reviews - my internet has been super slow today and it takes forever to do anything. It's driving me crazy XD But do know that I appreciate every single review ^.^) **

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! **


	13. Chapter 13

**I would love to give a Hulk-sized thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Your comments and feedback are appreciated more than I can say *-* **

* * *

Loki rolls his green eyes at the blank ceiling.

Thor had, quite literally, blocked him inside the room and locked him in—and Loki wonders just why Thor expects that he would actually stay there.

But if it makes Thor feel better to think that his little brother is safe, Loki doesn't mind.

It's not like he was planning on going with them.

He'll meet them at the battle later, but he has an errand to attend to first, while everyone is preoccupied and all think they know where he is and what he's going to do.

The fools.

Loki can feel Yggdrasil beckoning him, calling him, and he walks through the cracks in reality and into her embrace.

It always feels, in a way, serene amid her branches; colors aren't the light reflecting back, but the energy pulsing from—and the ash tree herself is everything and nothing, and thus a reflection of one's mind, and exactly what one thinks to find.

The steps appear below his feet as he takes each step, fading behind him in particles of rainbow dust (more than rainbow—it's every color in existence, the entire spectrum.)

Last time he'd traveled through, he'd been in a panic, in a rush, and the journey had likewise been a whirlwind of darkness guided by silver fingers.

But now he has time to linger and revel in it, the branches stretching out indefinitely above him, the trunk immeasurably large, the roots twining down into the deepest depths of worlds—it's so far beyond comprehension that even _his_ mind protests.

She cradles the Nine Realms in her branches and roots, the void in simplicity everything in between, stars her rustling leaves—sink or swim, do or die, because as soon as you lose yourself and falter, it will leave you falling.

Loki glances at his hands in front of him, his body a thrumming, vivid green: his magic defining him.

(Not his heritage.)

It's chilly here, but pleasantly so, the kind that you don't mind because it's completely _inside _you, every iota your being, and not on the outside trying to gnaw its way to your bones and snap them brittle.

It's but a few moments it takes him to walk the pathway, but his mind is racing so quickly it makes each physical moment seem to take eons.

And Loki remembers distinctly the history lesson where the royal tutor told his brother and him about Thanos.

The Aesir had regaled them of an airbrushed story of the Mad Titan's defeat, of his incredible power and bloodlust, of how Odin Allfather had defeated him in combat and taken the still incomplete Infinity Gauntlet that Thanos had been planning to use in order to subvert all the Nine Realms.

He hadn't killed him, but Thanos had lost his balance and fallen into the starving void, and supposedly therein died—because apparently none could survive.

And yet Thanos had.

And Loki had.

But that wasn't known at the time.

Unsatisfied with the meager explanations that left much to be yearned for, Loki had gone to the royal library, and searched for hours until he found a more detailed recount of the story.

He'd been unsurprised to find that the battle hadn't been nearly as quick and glorious as the tutor had claimed, and that the Allfather—the most powerful being in the universe (as Loki had believed at the time)—had almost been unable to match the titan.

It had been a long and difficult struggle as Odin tried to prevent Thanos from completing his weapon of mass destruction.

There'd been little on the Infinity Gauntlet, but from what Loki managed to scrape together, there were six Infinity Gems: Soul, Time, Space, Mind, Reality, and Power.

The gems were fruits of Yggdrasil, aspects of the universe having oozed from the ash tree like sap, where they manifested and crystallized, their power fermenting there in the strobelights of light and darkness.

Thanos had traveled around and managed to collect them all, and had designed a golden glove in which their powers could be united, and, once ignited, grant omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and the potential to hold dominion over all realities.

Most of the gems had been lost with the titan when he fell, but Power and Reality had already been set in the Gauntlet, which Odin took back to the royal weapon's vault.

Odin had taken Thor and Loki to see it, once.

It had been a huge, ugly thing in Loki's opinion, with ostentatiously extravagant designs, the fingers made up of pieces of metal that fit together like armor plates but still looked irritating to have to bend, and with a dull yellow gem set on the first knuckle, a dull red one on the second.

But there was a tangible trace of magic around it that felt almost like static electricity, but incomplete, not enough to cause a spark.

Thanos had never activated the glove, and whoever had written the book had been skeptical about whether it could even be done, speculating that Thanos had been having trouble with it since it had taken him so long and the Aesir had managed to tear apart his growing army and find him before he'd completed the gauntlet.

Loki steps out onto the barren moon, boots leaving no marks on the dark rocks, when he freezes, body going rigid.

He'd been aware of shifting back to his Aesir form as he'd stepped into the ether pathway, but he lifts a hand to his head now, feeling soft triangular ears sticking out of his hair.

He brings his hands back down, his nails dark claws, and he suddenly notices that he can feel the fur on his tail bristling as it swishes in agitation around his ankles.

_An intriguing side effect, _he thinks, before moving on.

As he walks, he recognizes the places he was tortured, and his claws dig into the palms of his hands as he forces himself to take deep, calming breaths.

He's here of his own free will now, and the moon is deserted, of this he is sure.

The Chitauri are probably already pouring onto Midgard, and Thanos is likely leading the rest against Asgard at this very moment.

Hopefully the Aesir were expecting an attack and are prepared for it.

Not that that's Loki's problem.

The god walks silently over to a large rock precipice overlooking the cosmos, kneeling down to wipe away the fine, dark dust.

He finds the symbol he's looking for and traces a claw along it, there sounding a click as the previously imperceptible lines in the stone appear, and Loki lifts it from the ground.

There's a book there, in the cavity.

It's large and ancient, dark scaled leather of a creature Loki isn't completely sure of, and there are no runes on its cover or spine, no markings.

But Loki smirks, lifting it up and twisting it in his hands, the book disappearing to somewhere only he can access it.

He slips the stone back into place, taking a handful of dust and sprinkling it over so nobody will ever know.

And then he walks away, treading the sky as it yawns and envelops him, a tongue of bobbing stars for stepping stones as the void below him flows obsidian.

It would be so easy for it to rise up and swallow him whole, fletcherise him, then hack him up like a hairball.

Loki laughs at the thought.

* * *

"Thanos," Hela greets, bony elbow resting on the skulled armrest, chin resting against her withered hand. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"My Love," Thanos says, coming up to kneel before her.

She gazes coolly down at him, her eyes either so dark they hide her pupils, or else she's adapted to the dimness and lost any need for irises.

They are oft to say her eyes used to be blue once, but she's neither confirms nor denies it.

Hela holds out her hand and Thanos kisses the bones of her fingers.

"My plan is coming together nicely," Thanos says, smiling. "Soon your army will grow tenfold."

Hela stands up, walking around him, dress sighing where it brushes the ground.

Staring ahead, he doesn't see her smirk.

"But you are having difficulties," she says, and it isn't a question.

"The Jotun runt is proving difficult," Thanos admits, voice a rough grumble, before he spits in distaste. "But he will be drawn out of his miserable hiding place, and he will be sacrificed for our cause. I have ordered The Other and his army of Chitauri to incapacitate the trickster and bring him back alive."

"Oh you mad titan," Hela says, as she stands behind him and wraps her arms around his neck, taking his square chin in a skeleton hand and turning his face so he has to look back at her.

"You're everything a malignant Ruler of the Dead could wish for."

As Hela says this, she slips the fingers of her fleshed hand into a pocket of his armor, snaking the green gem from it and into her own.

The lust in his features makes her want to blast him out of the room and let Garm use him as a chew toy, but she just smiles at him.

One gem down, two more to go.

This _would _be fun.

* * *

Iron Man arrives at Stark Tower and hovers above the landing pad, Thor landing there just a split second later, as they both look down at Erik Selvig as he steps back from the device the tesseract is encased in.

"Shut it down, Dr. Selvig," Iron Man orders.

"It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe," Erik says, unnaturally blue eyes wide with awe as he watches the tesseract pulse, the machine whirring.

"Okay," Iron Man mutters. Obviously the dude is crazy, and since he's under mind-control, it's pretty obviously crazy.

He holds up both hands and firing his repulsors, only for the blast to reflect off like there's a force field, sending Iron Man spinning backwards.

"_The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable," _Jarvis states.

Thor hurries over to Eric, who's now unconscious. Growling, Thor lifts his hammer, attacking the machine angrily.

Or at least, trying to.

"Thor, don't—" Iron Man warns, only to sigh in exasperation as the god is blast back, rolling on the gravel, the beads and washers still woven in his hair clicking together.

"Right," Iron Man says, glancing down to see The Other now standing on the landing pad, wearing a bloody smirk that Tony just wants to rip of his brass-adorned face.

He sets down just in time to grab Thor and keep him from bashing in The Other right then and there.

"Let me go!" Thor says furiously. "I will smite him for the hand he played in harming my brother!"

"Dude, calm down," Iron Man hisses, the suit making his voice sound strangely mechanical. "If we handle this right, we can get information about what his plan is!"

Thor glares at him, and there's so much heat in that stare Tony thinks that if his suit was made of any lesser metal it would start melting.

"Fine," Thor relents, jerking himself from the Iron Man's grip. "But if he makes one wrong move..."

"Yes yes, I get it. You will beat the living shit out him," Iron Man says, as he steps towards The Other.

"I'm giving you one chance to get the fuck off my planet."

The Other laughs, or at least, he utters a disgustingly wet rasping that sounds as if his lungs are collapsing, and Tony _thinks _it's a laugh.

"Your planet will be destroyed," The Other snarls, gripping tight to the scepter in his six-fingered hand. "All of your race, obliterated. And there's nothing you'll be able to do about it."

"But, let's do a head count here," Iron Man says, holding up his metal-gloved fingers as he counts off. "A thunder god with a mean swing; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"It matters not," The Other says, red teeth glistening. "Every single one of you will die. You really think six people can hold off an entire army?!"

"We have a Hulk," Iron Man points out.

The Other tilts his head, mouth closing slightly, the word 'Hulk' holding absolutely no meaning for him.

Tony resists the urge to roll his eyes behind his mask. "Look, you're missing the point," he continues. "There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

"Oh, but it's not all on me," The Other says, and suddenly he blasts Iron Man with his scepter, the suit flying off the landing pad only to right himself.

Thor roars with fury, rushing forward meeting The Other's spear, whaling at him with Mjolnir.

"Right," Iron Man says, glancing up as the tesseract shoots up a beam of blue, opening a portal in the sky through which unfamiliar stars can be seen, the edges of the portal lapping like preternaturally blue waves.

Chitauri start flying through the portal on what seem to be some sort of flying scooters.

"Army."

* * *

**I am taking liberties with this story as far as theories on Yggdrasil, the Infinity Gauntlet, the Infinity Gems, and everything goes. Parts of the theories, like that Thanos made the Infinity Gauntlet and that when all the gems are united they grant all-powerfulness I got from reading the wikipedia pages, but most things, such as the gems being fruits of Yggdrasil, is entirely made up. (In the comics they're apparently parts of the soul of some being called Nemesis, I don't know, but that doesn't work at all for this story.)**

**Anyways, things are starting to be explained, yes? I have this whole crazy idea going on that keeps insisting on getting more and more complicated, so I hope I'm breaking it out fairly smoothly... but the book and why Thanos needs Loki will be explained, I promise ;)  
**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! ^.^**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, followed and reviewed! Your support means worlds to me, loves ^.^ Truly. **

* * *

Huginn flies into the throne room, perching on the Allfather's shoulder, fluttering in agitation.

Odin glares at the bird with his one, watery blue eye, mouth pulled down in a stern frown. "Where were you?"

_You won't believe what I saw, _the raven caws, hopping up onto the King's helmet and staring down at him upside down with his black beady eyes. _Thanos is bringing an army to your doors. _

The Allfather is on his feet at once, striding from the room past quizzical servants he pays no attention.

"You're sure about this?"

Huginn holds on tightly to the horns of the golden helmet, screeching indignantly. _You know I cannot lie to you. _

"Heimdall, blow the horn," Odin orders, knowing that the gatekeeper can hear him.

Hardly seconds later a long, low bellow reverberates off the very city of Asgard, twice, thrice, spreading throughout the entire realm as all warriors immediately drop whatever they're doing and run for their weapons.

Yet even as Huginn takes off and the first Chitauri vessel seems to tear through the sky, Odin knows that they aren't ready.

He knew Thanos would come, of course, ever since his surprise visit where he'd told them that he had Loki.

That had been worrying; Odin knows that the boy holds secrets, ones easily misused and exploited, and that he's powerful—Thanos could potentially mold him into a weapon to be reckoned with. It had been a regretful turn of circumstances that Loki had fallen into the titan's hands, yet there was nothing the Allfather could do about it, besides prepare Asgard for war.

But Heimdall had told him that The Other was on Midgard, orchestrating an attack to happen there, and that Midgard would be an example, a warning, and that they wouldn't come for Asgard until afterward.

It appears Thanos had lured them all into a false sense of security.

A couple of servants help Odin into his armor, and he grabs Gungnir and hurries out to his army.

Only to find Frigga is already there, armored and ready, a sword in her hands and words of motivation on her tongue.

And Odin suddenly remembers why exactly he fell in love with her.

As the Chitauri bear down on them, war cries are uttered as the Asgardians rush forwards to meet them, the stalwart sound raising them higher to hope.

Frigga holds her place on the castle wall, and as she slices the first Chitauri on a flying scooter in half, she thinks of her son in the hands of these creatures and whispers to herself.

"For Loki."

* * *

The air is already filled with flying Chitauri warriors and the scent of melted metal and burnt flesh as Iron Man wings down the streets of New York, catching their attention and getting them to chase him even as he takes some of them down with his repulsors, sending them careening into buildings.

Suddenly Natasha's voice crackles over his intercom. "Stark, we're on your three, heading northeast."

"What, did you stop for drive-thru?" Tony asks, annoyance clear in his voice as he quips at how slow the jet is. Really, he should just upgrade those things, only he doesn't particularly like the idea of Shield having his tech. "Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you."

The jet comes shooting between the skyscrapers, hitting the aliens that had been following Iron Man's tail, before coming up to hover by Stark Tower, where Thor and The Other are exchanging blows.

Natasha fires the machine gun on the bottom of the jet, but it mostly hits the windows of the tower and shatters them.

The Other turns his black-swathed face towards them, firing the scepter, but Thor knocks into him, sending his aim off and into one of the engines.

Growling, Thor picks up The Other, holding the creature above his head and slamming him to the floor, kicking him for good measure.

The Other manages to grab the scepter and roll off the tower, catching onto a Chitauri vehicle flying by.

Thor roars, shooting after the alien with Mjolnir.

Stuttering, the jet spirals downwards like a moth caught on fire, dark smoke coming off its wing in plumes as Clint crash lands the aircraft into the street.

As soon as the back lowers Steve, Bruce and the two assassins step out into the beginning fray.

"_Sir, we've got more incoming," _Jarvis says, Tony glancing towards the portal just in time to see a huge leviathan swim through, covered in scales of armor the color of annealed brass, rows of fins churning the air like it's water, spines lining its back.

Captain America glances up at the portal, blue eyes widening. "Stark, are you seeing this?"

"Seeing," Tony affirms, flying above and beside the beast as Chitauri leap off it. "Still working on believing."

He sets off flares from his suit, hovering there as the leviathan turns towards him, crashing into the too-close skyscrapers, teeth baring in its metal-gilded face.

Iron Man turns tail as it snaps at his feet. "I have its attention," he relays. "Tell Banner to suit up; I'm bringing the party to you."

Their heads whip up as Iron Man comes careening around the corner of the block, seconds later the corner of the skyscraper blowing outwards as the leviathan's fin connects with it, head appearing first out of the spray of glass as the rest of its long eel-like body follows.

"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha remarks, shaking her head slightly as her flaming hair tickles her neck.

Bruce starts walking forward even before Steve calls out. "Dr. Banner! Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

The brunette spares him a wry glance, even as Iron Man leads the leviathan along the ground, the scales of its underside tearing up the pavement and pulverizing abandoned cars.

"That's my secret Captain. I'm always angry."

He turns then, shirt ripping apart as his skin turns green, and the Hulk smashes his fist into the beast's nose. The leviathan skids him backwards along the ground for a moment, before his footing holds, and the momentum forces the armored body upwards, bending the creature at an awkward angle that causes the metal plates to snap off.

"Hold on," Iron Man says, sending a projectile into the exposed flesh of the creature, the explosion a burst of orange fire and chunks of scorched alien flesh that cause Clint to duck behind a car and Natasha to duck behind Captain America and his shield.

The Chitauri clinging to the buildings give screeches of protest, which the Hulks answers with a roar of his own.

There's a burst of hope in the Avengers that is quickly humbled when more leviathans start pouring through the portal.

One... two... three... four... five...

"Damn," Tony curses. "And where the hell is Thor?"

* * *

Curiosity got the better of Loki, and he'd started reading the book of Thanos' notes as he was still traversing Yggdrasil.

Which, he realizes as he steps out onto a field of small indigo flowers, and the scent of herbs and rain washes over him, is probably not the best idea.

He really has no need to be in Alfheim.

But even as he steps back into the ether, he continues to rifle through the pages of messy titan scripture, furrowing his brow as he reads.

Well, Thanos had certainly done his research.

Yet Yggdrasil's sap seems to leak up through the pages, the language of the universe undermining all the titan's theories in a wave of understanding that nearly knocks Loki off the path and into Svartalfheim.

_You could be a bit more subtle, don't you think? _Loki thinks at the tree, shaking his head, black ears flicking.

He reaches the last page as he steps out onto Midgard.

Really?

So _that _is how Thanos plans on igniting the Infinity Gems within the Gauntlet?

With blood and sacrifice?

That's a bit barbaric, Loki thinks, not to mention cliché and something that was more common practice several eons ago. But he certainly wouldn't put it past the titan.

And Loki knows he's the perfect sacrifice for the occasion.

The gems are directly connected to Yggdrasil, and thus to tap into that power Thanos plans to use Loki's blood—the being one of, if not the most connected to the World Tree in all the Nine Realms, with a strong soul, a talent for manipulating space and time, a brilliant mind, possessing a grip on reality, and an uncanny potential for power—which would ignite all of the gems, and allow the Gauntlet to then harness their power.

Though there are undoubtably other methods in which to kindle the gems' energy, it was probably the fastest, albeit most crude—

Loki is suddenly aware that a Chitauri is standing in front of him, firing its gun at his face.

Acting on instinct the god holds up the book, the blast latching onto the cover and eating a hole straight though it, till he's sure all the writing must be gone.

Oh well. He has need of it no longer.

Loki throws the meager remains of the book at the Chitari with enough force to knock it backward a few steps, and by the time the creature gets its bearings, there is already a dagger lodging into its throat.

A group of the Chitauri surround Loki, but he blasts them back with a wave of pure energy that kills all the creatures within fifty feet of him, and sends cars and debris flying back as well, metal shattering and glass breaking.

He dares not use more energy than that, in case there are humans hiding somewhere nearby.

His cat ears perk up as he hears a familiar bellow, and he takes off down the street, running towards the noise and felling all Chitauri in his path with projectiles of metal and magic, though a few manage to get close enough for him to deliver kicks and break their necks.

His fighting style is swift and merciless, and he feels nothing.

* * *

Thor catches up with flying vehicle, smashing the head of the Chitauri driving it before grabbing the cloaked figure of The Other and throwing him to the ground, the scepter skittering along the street out of the six-fingered hands.

He bellows and brings Mjolnir down into The Other's chest, hearing the satisfying sound of ribs shattering, as he snarls "You! Will! Not! Harm! My! Brother! Ever! Again!" bringing down his hammer to punctuate each word, till The Other is nothing but a beaten corpse.

"Feeling angsty, are we?"

Thor whirls around to find Loki smirking at him, the scepter held in his left hand.

"Brother!" Loki hears Thor exclaim, before finding himself engulfed in a suffocatingly tight hug, chin resting over the thunderer's shoulder.

Then the next thing he knows he's being shaken. "What are you doing here?! You should be somewhere safe!"

"I'm not a child, Thor," Loki says, pushing the blond off him. He smirks. "And since when have I ever amenable?"

His expression pulls into confusion then as he sees Thor staring at him in shock, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Loki... why do you have cat ears?"

Loki laughs, high and light, and Thor's is prompted to smile at the sound. "I have a tail and claws, too," the trickster says, showing off his hands and letting his black cat tail curve up from where it had been blending in with his coattails. "Some peculiar side affect that I'll fix when we're not in the middle of a battle with the Chitauri."

As he says this, Loki raises the scepter and blasts one of the aliens that had crept unnervingly close to his distracted brother.

"Of course," Thor says, taking the hint and moving his gaze back to their surroundings, and the Chitauri that are stalking towards them, hissing. "But why are you using The Other's scepter?"

"_My _scepter," Loki corrects, as they stand back to back, Thor throwing and swing his hammer while Loki incinerates the Chitauri with blue blasts. "I stole the Mind gem from Thanos and crafted this during a period I temporarily escaped from torture."

Thor doesn't know what to say to that, so instead, as they kill the last of the aliens that had surrounded them, he suggests "What say you we go find our friends?"

Loki automatically opens his mouth to deny that they're his friends as well as Thor's, before stopping himself, because he's not completely sure.

He dares to hope, as dangerous as that sentiment is.

He's only ever been disappointed.

But he just nods at his brother, and Thor grabs him, twirling his hammer and springing into the air.

Loki scowls, even though Thor can't see it.

He didn't realize that when his brother said 'go find' he actually meant _'go fly to.'_

Loki considers clawing the thunderer, but sighs and decides against it.

Oh well. His pride can take the humiliation.

Probably.

* * *

**So there you go: you got some explanations on the book and why Thanos needs Loki. Happy now? XP**

**And yes, Odin is a jerk in this story. I think he truly does care for Loki in the movies... but I'm purposefully making him a jerk here. Because I can. **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	15. Chapter 15

******Eheheheh, I just have such a blast writing this story XD**

**A bit of a challenge, trying to keep the action from getting boring. I hope it's okay though :3**

******And of course: Thank you all _so freaking much_ for the amazing support! I love you all ^.^ **

* * *

"And where the hell is Thor?"

"Right here, friends," said god answers, dropping out of the sky in front of them, holding someone in his arms.

"Who's the kid?" Steve asks, looking at the lanky boy as he rights himself, glaring at the thunderer. His dark hair is slicked back, curving up just below his shoulders, skin nearly as pale as printer paper like he's never been in the sun, and he's dressed in a close-fitting black leathers that hug his slim frame, fringed with green and gold and crossed over with numerous straps and buckles, the whole outfit looking as if it takes a few hours just to get all the pieces on.

But that wasn't the strangest thing, the humans noted.

Tipping his long fingers were dark claws, and black cat ears poked up through his hair, a tail swishing behind him, the only sign he was the least bit affected by their stares.

And what with those unearthly (no really—glowing and shifting shades like some sort of neon lava lamp? _Not _normal) green eyes and sharp features, he looks, frankly, like some Neko anime character in Medieval garb. Maybe slightly emo as well.

Thor opens his mouth to answer the Captain only to be cut off by a remark from Tony, as he steps closer, flipping up his faceplate. "You have two pairs of ears."

The young man, whom the billionaire guesses to be somewhere in his early to mid twenties, laughs, head tilting backwards slightly.

"Eheheheh!"

Thor claps the dude on the back, beaming as the humans seem to be taken aback by the pleasantness of the sound, even the assassins blinking with widened eyes; that smile transformed the man's face from almost threatening to charming. And Thor knows it. "Friends, I would like you to meet my brother, Loki."

"_That's_ your _brother?" _Tony says incredulously. "But he looks nothing like you!"

A corner of those thin lips twitch, exposing a sliver of strangely feline-like teeth in something that probably isn't a smile

"Kitty."

They all turn to look at the Hulk, who is bending down slightly, staring critically at Loki. "Kitty," he grunts again.

"Indeed, I was the cat," Loki nods, eyebrows lifting. "You are not as dull as Bruce makes you sound."

Hulk snorts, and Loki's eyes flick around them. "Though it would be delightful to be able continue these formal introductions, I suggest we do so at another time, seeing as we have unfinished business with a few shiploads of Chitauri, and I expect—"

There's a roar and a crash then, a leviathan diving down towards them and paying no heed for the city architecture it's destroying, Chitauri leaping off to the ground and stalking towards them.

Paying no attention to those on the ground, Loki immediately focuses on the leviathan, taking out its vulnerable eyes with well-aimed blasts from his scepter, the blinded animal pitching towards Thor, who slams Mjolnir into its skull.

The creature writhes, jaws gnashing, and Loki snaps his fingers. There isn't even a moment in which for the creature to moan before its insides rupture, thick blood leaking from it as it lies still.

"I detest being interrupted," Loki mutters, as he and Thor automatically gravitate so they once again fight back to back.

Captain America and the assassins immediately began taking out the aliens, shield and bullets flying, Chitauri getting knocked back and not getting back up. When she runs out of bullets, with no time to reload Natasha grabs one of Clint's arrows from his quiver, stabbing it into a kink in an alien's armor as it tries to stab her with a blade melded into its arm. She gets a hold of a Chitauri spear, twirling it about her body as she knocks several of them back, spinning on her knees and firing the laser.

Another alien runs up and crashes into Hawkeye, knocking the archer backwards so that they both tumble to the ground, and he's forced to use his dagger to drive into the creature before running and sliding on the dusty street, turning back to shoot his arrows into their grotesque, almost insect-like faces.

Steve bashes the aliens with his shield as they come at him from all angles, and he's quick to notice that despite their metal armor and enhanced speed and strength, they still go down as easily as humans. It almost sickens him that he can make that observation.

While they take care of those on the ground, Iron Man shoots down the ones scootering in the smoky air above the streets, repulsors in his hands glowing near constantly as he fires them off, the stupid creatures following him only to fail to make a sharp turn and collide with innocent skyscrapers in an explosion of their mechanics. What is even up with there reflexes? As far as flying things went, he was like a freaking accipiter when it came to maneuverability. And they were like—he didn't know—pigeons or something. But he bets that the Chitauri would be awful at video games.

Hulk leaps from building to building, grabbing aliens and hurling them about like an child throwing his toys in a tantrum, the creatures never standing a chance as he clings to skyscrapers and smashes his huge green fists into their faces, letting their broken bodies fall to the ground.

"We need a plan of attack!" Steve shouts over their intercom, even as he launches himself off a bus as it explodes behind him, a shower of fragmented glass falling around him like rain as he rolls.

Natasha growls from where she's perched on a Chitauri's shoulders, shoving a blade into its neck. "This won't mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal."

"I can close it." Loki glances at Thor, the hammer spinning about him in a blur of silver before he sends it crashing through rows of aliens. "I don't have an intercom; tell them that I can close the portal."

"How?" Thor asks, blocking a barrage of blasts from hitting either of them as Loki takes them out with the scepter, silver blades already glistening with grayish blood.

Loki hisses yet another group of Chitauri come down the street, and they fall dead at a wave of his hand. "I designed the portal, idiot—I know how to close it. Did you really think Eric Selvig could figure out how to tap the tesseract's power, even with The Other controlling him? As you said yourself: no human is a match for it."

"Then let me cover you," Thor protests, a second of a lull in enemies allowing him to catch his brother's eye for a moment.

"Whatever," Loki shrugs distractedly. He looks up towards Stark Tower, at the portal beaming up into the sky. "Just _tell them _already."

As soon as Thor relays the information over, receiving a "Do it!" from Steve, and questions from the others that he brushes off, Loki grabs his sleeve and transports the both of them away from the streets.

* * *

"Director Fury, the council has made a decision."

The one-eyed man glared at the shadowy figures of the councilmen on their screens, grinding out "I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it." His tone is stern, uncompromising, like a father talking to a teenage child with an attitude.

"Director, you're closer than any of our subs, you scramble that jet..."

If only he could punch them through the screens, knock some sense into them. Point a gun at their heads and order them into the corner to just _think _about what they're suggesting. "That is the island of Manhattan, Councilman. Until I'm certain my team can't hold it, I will not order a nuclear strike against a civilian population." It would be a holocaust. And what would the world think of them for it? That they would rather simply kill thousands of people than give them a chance—New York a chance. The Avengers a chance.

"If we don't hold them in the air, we lose everything."

"I send that bird out, we already have," Fury retorts, touching the screen and ending their meeting.

The fucking dolts. How did they ever get into positions of such influence, when they've obviously never been in so much as a firefight, much less war.

They thought they could have control? What a joke.

When you think that you're the one in control is the moment you know you're screwed.

"Sir, we have an unauthorized bird readying for departure," Hill says suddenly, as Fury just steps out onto the bridge. "Shut it down! I repeat: shut it down!"

Fury is already out of there.

He comes out onto the deck with a bazooka, firing it into the wing of the jet, and it slows to a stop, smoking.

The Directory breathes a sigh of relief; only for his heart to throb painfully in his chest as another plane takes off down the landing pad, and he drops the bazooka and grabs his handgun, only he's too late, _he's too late—_

Suddenly there's a whirring, a metallic sound almost, and a ball of orange flame meets the jet, melting its wing and part of the tail, as it screeches to a halt right before falling off the landing pad.

Fury glances over, to see Agent Coulson waving at him and holding a large black gun, a huge grin on his face.

"I always wanted to see what that does!"

* * *

Thor had expected to reappear on Stark Tower, where the portal is.

So when he realizes the ground is moving beneath his feet, and that he's actually standing on the back of a leviathan, he turns to Loki with a befuddled expression.

"Oops," the trickster says, swinging his leg around to knock off a Chitauri. "Since we're here though, we might as well deal with this." He makes a small motion with his hand, and the metal of the creature's armor turns to clear ice, and Thor can see straight into its insides.

"Loki! That's disgusting!" he rumbles, even as he brings his hammer down and shatters the ice, electricity flowing through Mjolnir and the frozen water to electrocute the leviathan, Loki grabbing him away as it heads straight for the ground.

This time they actually do end up on the tower.

Loki strides over to the machine, sticking the scepter through the field of energy and touching the tesseract with its blade, the beam shrinking in diameter as the portal collapses like water through a dam, like closing was all it had wanted to do.

"Well that was easy," Thor observes, as the cube's glow dulls.

Lifting it out of the machine, Loki whisks it away into thin air, before taking the scepter using it to blast the machine to microscopic bits.

"Did I hear an easy button?" Stark cackles over the intercom. There was the sound of a blast. Another blast. "And they died!" he crows. "That was easy!"

Thor's eyebrows furrow as he purses his lips in confusion. "Is there something wrong with the Man of Iron?"

"Don't worry yourself," Natasha's voice cuts in. "He's just acting like a child."

Loki had sidled up to his brother, leaning close so that a furry black ear was near Thor's, and he could overhear their conversation.

"Is that so?" he smirks, a familiar glint lighting up in his eyes.

"Oh no!" Thor mumbles, face horrified, as he runs after his brother. "No no no no no no! I don't know what you're going to do, but please, don't do it!"

The God of Mischief just shakes his head. "Come now, it will still be beneficial..."

Thor's about to open his mouth to protest when he sees one of the leviathan's chasing Iron Man, and as the genius turns back, the creature is suddenly turned into what looks to be ice cream.

Mint chocolate fudge ice cream.

It falls forward, lifeless, and Iron Man gets covered in the stuff. "Well, it beats blood, guts and gore," he says, climbing out of the mess. "Could Loki just, like, do that to all of them? And maybe, like, cotton candy, or clouds, or something. Or you know, if he can do that, can't he just make them all disappear?"

Overhearing, Loki snorts. "Inform Tony that that kind of transmogrification takes a great deal of energy, and I have plans I need to save it for.

"But..." a small but nevertheless dangerous smile. One that makes Thor shiver. "I'll see what else I can do."

* * *

**I read somewhere that Loki turned an entire street of cars into ice cream in the comics or something, and I just _had_ to include it... that, and I'm a huge fan of ridiculously powerful Loki, especially when he does weird things like that ;) **

**Oh, and I would like to acknowledge Kerttu for informing me about Neko characters :D**

**Anyways... please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	16. Chapter 16

**I am so sorry I was unable to reply to any of your lovely reviews today! I was out of the house all day and I didn't get back till like midnight, and then there was some other stuff I had to do, and then it was like 2:00am and I had to get writing, so no time for replying. **

**But I would like to thank you all so much for the comments and feedback! I appreciate it more than I can say :D **

**And to everyone who's wondering about why the Avengers thought Loki was a lanky kid: it's because I imagine Loki looking younger in this story, than he does in the actual movie. Probably something to do with him having been a kitty, and then still having ears and a tail, and the fact that he's a lot sweeter in this than in the movie, makes him feel younger to me, and I imagine him as being kind of cute, rather than the gorgeously creepy he is in "Avengers". And I know his leathers make him look intimidating, but I feel like most of that threatening aura is kind of in the way he moves, and his facial expressions. So he can still be badass and cute, right? ;3 And besides, this story is an AU, so I can make him younger. I do what I want :P**

* * *

Iron Man sees Thor taunt a leviathan, smacking his hammer in the creature's face, before turning and taking off, enticing the thing to follow him. They wind around a block and the leviathan opens its mouth, Thor turning to look back only to be engulfed in the jaws of the creature, long teeth gnashing.

"Did Thor just get swallowed?!" Iron Man asks in alarm, intercom crackling.

Thor's voice answers him, sounding half exasperated, half amused. "No, Man of Iron. That was not I."

"Then what—"

"That was an illusion cast by my brother," the thunderer continues, a snickering audible in the background. "And, knowing Loki, I would guess that it's fatal to ingest. Wait a moment."

Even as Tony watches, a shudder works its way through the creature's frame, and it suddenly nosedives, green smoke curling from its mouth as it falls, lifeless.

He just stares at the thing for a second, mouth open behind the mask, before a blast from a Chitauri wheeling by through the air knocks him flipping backwards, before he ends its life with a well-aimed shot. "Your brother has an odd sense of humor," Tony remarks, as another leviathan comes around the corner.

There's something that sounds like "That he does—oof!" from Thor's end.

"But he has given me an idea." Iron Man flies towards the beast, straight into its mouth and through it, missiles in assorted locations on his suit firing, sending him exploding out of the center of the creature, covered in fried gunk as both he and it end up smashing to the ground.

He gets back up though, while the leviathan doesn't.

"But you do have an odd sense of humor!" Thor protests after Loki elbowed him, from where the two gods are riding another of the huge creatures, which they'd immediately deemed a larger threat than the scattered Chitauri and thus had kill priority.

"Hypocrite," Loki snorts, waving a hand and causing the armor of the creature to be ripped up so that they jabbed into it instead of lying flat, Thor hammering them to drive them in like nails in wood. "You have just as strange a sense of humor, judging by how easy it is for me to make you laugh."

They both leap off as the leviathan jerks and slams into a building, buckling the entire thing so that it topples to the ground as if it were a large-scale Jenga game.

"How many more of the leviathans left?" Steve asks over intercom.

Clint answers from his spot atop one of the highest skyscrapers, looking out over the city, ever analyzing for patterns; though currently his view is a bit obscured by one of the beasts slithering through the street just in front of him, fins nearly crashing into his perch. "Just one that I can see," he grumbles, firing an arrow at the thing's face. Not that it would do much besides anger it...

He blinks, the arrow managing to melt the melt the metal off, and spreading along the creature's shell. There's a burst of blue energy from just beside him that catches onto the armor and continues melting it, some sort of gurgling shriek slipping through the leviathan's teeth as it careens into the ground, even as the archer whips around to find Loki standing next to him.

"I altered the atomic structure of the metal," the god explains, seeing Hawkeye's widened eyes as the archer silently mouths something.

"...How did you get up here?!" Clint demands, nothing short of unnerved—he should have heard something.

"I flew," comes the cool reply, and try as he might Clint can't discern whether that was sarcastic or not. Loki tilts his head slightly, almost questioning, even though he voices a statement. "Now that all the leviathans are gone, if Thor and I take off for a time due to desperate matters of foreign affairs, I'm sure your band of humans will be able to take care of the rest of the Chitauri."

The archer huffs, taking an arrow from his quiver and shooting down an alien scooter even while keeping his eyes on the god. "Of course."

"Good." Loki disappears then—one moment he was there on the rooftop, the next, by Thor and Steve slamming their hammer and shield into aliens on street level.

"Brother, we must go," the dark-haired god says, joining the two of them, kicking back a Chitauri even as he fires a blast that takes out several more, scepter slashing clearly through the air, both magical weapons severing aliens from limbs with a brutal, practiced ferocity. They must have been doing things like this for thousands of years, the supersoldier thinks.

Fighting right next to the two gods, Steve _realizes_, for the first time, just how tall they both are. Thor dwarfs the younger with his sheer muscle mass, but Loki looks only about an inch shorter despite being remarkably slimmer—perhaps that was why Steve hadn't realized how tall Loki was earlier, when he'd been standing side by side with the mountain of a thunderer.

But both of them are easily several inches taller than the supersoldier, and its like deja vu as Steve feels suddenly small and weak in comparison, like he'd felt as a boy; he'd since grown accustomed to being taller and stronger than everyone else after the serum.

"But there's still Chitauri!" Thor protests, hammer flying back into his hand before he sends it whirring off again. "It is my duty to protect Midgard!"

"And it's your duty to protect Asgard," the younger points out. "They're no doubt being attacked at the very moment, and by far larger numbers. Don't you realize—this was just the distraction." He punctuates this by waving his hand, all the Chitauri on the block dropping dead spontaneously.

Thor turns to look at him, alarmed. "And why did you not see fit to tell me this beforehand?!" The thunderer grabs Loki by the shoulders, though manages to resist shaking him for answers. That never did work well.

"Because I know you wouldn't have left before you knew the rest of the Avengers would be able to handle the battle themselves," Loki says as he raises his eyebrows, knowing that his brother can't argue with that.

"We'll be fine," Steve assures, wiping sweat of his brow with his hand and glancing around at the demolished street, noting that even though the screeches of Chitauri could still be heard, there wasn't quite as much ruckus as earlier.

Thor drops his hands from the narrow shoulders, before turning to Captain America. "Forgive us," he says, "But we must attend to matters in our home world."

The mortal nods in understanding, calling "Go for it." even as he runs down the street towards the rest of the battle that continued to rage, though quieter, a fever easing up, mollifying to a steady burn that feels almost comfortable in comparison to the previous sweltering.

Loki wastes no time in grabbing his brother's arm firmly and taking them into the ether.

* * *

The darkness—color, like the vacillating bifrost—it overwhelms Thor, the feeling of running with nothing below his feet to hold him, even though he's not _falling. _He catches glimpses of the world tree through his eyelids as he presses them tightly shut, and it blurs and throbs there, the distinct feeling that he's losing consciousness even as he's aware of every breath of nothing he pulls sharply into his lungs.

Gripping Loki's hand tighter, he lets his brother guide him.

It's a relief when the journey's over, and he immediately collapses to his knees, a hand over his mouth while he fights the urge to heave. His body still feels like it's being picked apart and reassembled, and it takes him a moment before he's able to look up, and see that they are not, in fact, in Asgard.

There's a huge black dog in front of them, sitting on its haunches, glistening red drops dripping from its tongue that lulls between its teeth, as it stares at them with yellow eyes, flickering as if the dog's naught but a lantern, lit from the inside with flame. Gray smoke curls around its paws, spilling from behind it like a sea, and Thor can't make out anything in the depths, except for scarce movements that look like specter faces shifting expressions.

"Loki, why are we in Helheim?" he asks, voice betraying a quiver of apprehension as he gets to his feet.

"I have some business with Hela," Loki answers, insouciant, as he approaches the beast. "Garm; I request an audience with your queen, Ruler of the Dead."

The dog gives what sounds like a growl, but he steps aside.

Loki walks into the fog, along a dark path of stone, and Thor really has no choice but to follow.

He isn't sure how long they walk—it could have be seconds, minutes, hours—with the soft moans and breaths of deceased souls flurrying about their feet like powder snow, the lay of the land hardly visible beneath the misty veil. Thor wonders idly whether it hides because it's ugly, or because it's fair; either way he distrusts it.

It's a relief when they enter what must be the throne room, though whether it's actually a room or not is debatable, seeing as above their heads it fades away into darkness that could be either ceiling or sky.

Hela perches on her chair, a smirk on her half-dead face, the right, full side of her lips curving upwards. "Child of chaos," she greets, dark gaze lingering on Loki and sparing not even a glance towards Thor.

Loki gestures behind his back, their ages old code for Thor to keep his mouth shut, because the trickster has everything under control and he can only mess it up.

"Your majesty," Loki bows. He straightens, chin lifting, a smile forming on his thin lips. "You managed to steal the gems from Thanos with him suspecting naught, I'll wager."

Hela snorts. "He was played like a Hardanger fiddle," she says, standing and descending the steps towards the young god, reaching out a hand, the palm holding three dull stones; green, orange, purple.

"Soul, Time, and Space," Hela says, dropping them into a small black bag, which she then tosses to Loki, who catches them one-handed. "Stolen from him just like you requested."

She steps down the last of the stairs, and Loki remains completely still as she comes within a foot of him, pressing her skeletal hand to his chest. "And now, for your side of the bargain."

Thor watches in horror as his little brother's eyes widen, taking in a sharp breath, before she removes her hand, smiling wryly.

"What was that?!" the thunderer demands, growling, as his hand automatically travels towards Mjolnir. "What did you do to my brother?!"

Loki just shakes his head at him, lips twitching. "I promised Hela that if she retrieved the gems for me, I would let her have my soul."

"WHAT?!"

"I basically live at her convenience now," Loki explains lightly, like it means nothing. "And after death she has the right to steal my soul from the Valkyrie, if they try to spirit me away to Valhalla for whatever reason."

That only serves to make Thor more incensed, the thought that his little brother thinks his life worthless.

Hela laughs then, a grating sound akin to the winter wind that howls at windows and whispers beneath doors. "Do not fret, God of Thunder. I do not take souls before their time. You may take solace in the fact that it's not truly his soul I want, but proof of his determination with which he means to carry out his ploy." She looks stares Thor in the eyes, hers dark and void, his vivid and blue. "I too wish to see Thanos taken down a couple pegs."

Thor growls in the back of his throat, gaze flicking between the two of them with a growing confusion, that is quickly stirring itself into a heavy anger. He turns to Loki. "You would give up being together in the afterlife of Valhalla, feasting and drinking and fighting?!"

"I rather think this is one of the smarter deals I've made," Loki says, making a face. "Valhalla sounds like those feasts Asgard is always having, and you know how I can't stand those."

"But we won't be together!" Thor cries with a glare, and Loki just shakes his head, lips pressing into a smirk.

"And you're so sure you'll be going to Valhalla are you? How do you know I won't drag you down here with me?"

"At least he didn't barter his head this time," Hela points out to the thunderer, who's clutching his hammer now, readjusting his grip.

"No, this time it's his _soul!_" Thor shouts. "How is that better than his head?!"

Loki sighs, walking over and poking Thor in the arm. "Really Brother, stop worrying about something that's not going to happen for some years yet. Worry about what's happening _right now. _For example, Asgard crumbling under the Chitauri attack, and half the beings in the universe potentially going to be obliterated."

Thor fixes his little brother with a furious glare. "This isn't over."

"Yes yes, yell at me all you want," Loki says with a careless wave. "Or hit me, as I know you were once prone to do. Just do it _after _Thanos is dealt with."

Hela shakes her head as the two gods leave, almost fondly; a grin slowly spreads across her marred face. They could do it, she thinks—and wouldn't Thanos be even more humiliated when he finds himself bested by a boy with cat ears and a tail.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! And that the second bit made sense... I mean, it makes sense in my head... I'm just not sure how it comes across. Especially since at the time I'm writing this it's now past 5:00am in the morning. **

**Please let me know what you think! **


	17. Chapter 17

**This story is just so much fun to write! I am so, so excited! Like, really excited! *-***

**And of course, thank you all SO MUCH for all the amazing support! Like, so ridiculously happy right now :D I looooooove you! **

* * *

It was a hill Loki stepped out onto, dragging Thor behind him like a sulky child.

The thunderer recognizes the hill immediately, as it was one that they'd played on often when they were younger, and he still remembers playing King of the Mountain, and pushing each other so that they rolled down the hill, gathering speed and grass bits in their hair as they gave giggling shrieks. Besides the top of the palace the hill was the highest point within the area they'd been allowed to roam unguided, and standing at the top one had a view of the entire golden city sprawled out before them.

But what Thor saw below him now seemed to draw the air involuntarily out of his lungs.

It was like the battle in New York, only worse; Chitauri had completely infiltrated the city, with their flying scooters and leviathans, dozens upon dozens of the huge beasts that eel through the ashen sky and wreak destruction upon the buildings—though they seem to be leaving the castle untouched.

The Aesir, Thor realizes, are far less prepared for an invasion of technologically advanced beings than the Midgardians were. With weapons naught but blades and no methods of which to fly through the air the Aesir couldn't hope to injure the aerial Chitauri or fell the leviathans.

He remembers suddenly his peers mocking Loki for preferring long-range weapons and magic because it was supposedly cowardly, all those chivalrous fighting with hand-to-hand combat. He remembers Loki's voice, scoffing. "What good will your rules and honor do you when you're dead? Because your enemies will sure as Hel be cheating."

Thor hopes some of the Aesir had the sense to put down their double-headed axes and grab bows and arrows.

He turns back to Loki then, only to find his brother has disappeared, along with the sword that had been on Thor's belt, and no matter how he scans the surrounding battle he doesn't see the dark-haired god. Worry stirs in his gut, but he knows Loki would chide him for it, tell Thor that he's perfectly able to take care of himself—and the thunder god knows he is.

But if he were to lose Loki again...

Thor pushes the thought out of his mind as the battle rages before his eyes, and he can hear the screams of Aesir. Shivers shimmy down his spine as he raises Mjolnir, bluish lightning crackling to it as storm clouds seem to fold out of nowhere and stampede the firmament like war horses, thunder pounding like myriads of hoofbeats shaking the ground.

He heads straight for the closest leviathan, and he does what he does best: hits it over the head with his hammer. Teases down a little lightning of his ignited ire and sends it skittering its fatal dance over the creature's flesh, the burning reek of it reaching Thor's nostrils with a now familiar scent.

Oh why, why hadn't they come sooner?

Already he sees so many of his fallen brethren lying crumpled or crippled on the ground, dead or dying, and the sight makes him feel ill, even as he takes out another leviathan.

He was sure not so many Midgardians perished in the battle in New York. But then, the humans aren't a warrior race, and they had no problem hiding knowing that they could not fight the aliens, while the Aesir would all leap up to fight, and would rather die than find someplace safe.

And now that Thor thinks about it, the Chitauri hadn't been truly targeting the humans; most of them had gone almost solely after the Avengers.

But here the Aesir were definitely being targeted.

Multiple leviathans come at the thunderer now, roaring, and his vision is creeping over with red, as he twirls his hammer and calls up a tornado, spinning them around and around where they crash into one another, disoriented and possessing no control, and he kills them with lightning and thunderous blows.

Where is Loki? Thor wonders, dropping the dead creatures to the ground.

But he's only allowed to wonder a moment, before a cluster of Chitauri on their flying scooters surround him, sending a barrage of blasts that try as he might he can't block all of them, and he falls to his knees.

He hears battle cries, and looks up to see Sif and the Warriors Three on the roof of one of the buildings, leaping onto the aircrafts and slashing the aliens down, lessening the blasts enough for Thor to leap up and join them, swinging his hammer in a gray blur that all but disappears against the background of the storming sky, rain beginning to pour down in torrents.

Let's see how the Chitauri like getting wet, the thunderer thinks. Especially when they're wet and electrocuted.

"Do any of you know how to shoot a bow and arrow?" Thor yells over the rumbles of thunder and clashing of weapons.

There are a few nods in his peripheral vision.

"Then go find some!"

* * *

Frigga clashes swords with Chitauri inside the castle, part of a group of warriors attempting desperately to keep them from penetrating any deeper into the heart of their kingdom.

It was alarming, how quickly the aliens had breached all their defenses, and the Queen couldn't help but notice how Asgard is overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of them, as well as being out-gunned when it comes to weapons.

She knows not where Odin is—probably chasing after Thanos somewhere, trying to intercept him. The titan had all but led the invasion himself, and none of their warriors could hold their own against him as he'd powered through their ranks and broken into the palace, slaughtering any and all who stood in his path.

As Frigga furiously slashes another Chitauri down, she hears a signature rumbling, thunder rolling.

She smiles, a burst of energy and hope flooding through her as she takes out the rest of the alien pack, their grayish blood already covering her armor.

Her sons have returned home. (She has no doubt that Thor managed to find and rescue her brother; it's more than faith, an intrinsic feeling in her gut, a surge in her lungs, a sigh in her mind.)

The tides have turned.

* * *

Darkness.

It pools around Loki, saturating his clothes as he kneels in it.

A harsh breath leave his lips, beads of sweat collecting on his brow to stream down his pale face, splashing softly, warm against his hands and never seeming to meet the floor.

Sparks fly, seeming to hang around him like clusters of stars, fizzling green, and a childish part of his mind likens them to fireflies even as he keeps his eyes pinned in front of him on something he can't quite see.

But it's there.

It's there, and he can feel it.

Absently fire licks to him, twining around his fingers like snakes, and he can feel the scorching as it melts the metal, but the heat is nothing but a tickle against his icy skin.

There are glows, reflecting off his eyes, flickering green, orange, purple, blue, yellow, red.

The shadows coating his tongue and dripping from his teeth are cast in stark relief as he smiles.

Light.

* * *

Thanos prowls through the palace corridors, winding his way lower and deeper into the darkest recesses where gradually the metal begins to transition from gold to dark steel. It gets progressively colder, no doubt even in the summer the sultry sunlight penetrates not this low, where it passes even the ground and chambers practically hang surrounded by the void.

His path his unimpeded by Aesir, the guards that no doubt usually frequent the area having been called off to the battle.

Asgard was full of fools.

And then the Allfather... Thanos could laugh; so laugh he does, the rough sound echoing in the empty halls like metal being sharpened, until it fades to a ghost, and then to nothing.

It was purely by luck that Odin had defeated him the last time, and Thanos would not be so careless in his mistakes this time—he'd learned.

Odin obviously hadn't.

Asgard had been woefully unprepared for their attack, and as the titan cut through them, crushing them like ants, their scarlet blood splattering his armor and coating his violet hands, the fight they put up had been so pathetic it had been near unsatisfying.

This would be a great battle, a momentous victory—but hardly glorious.

Yet when Thanos has his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet, the Power and Reality gems encased already on the knuckles, and The Other returns Mind and gives him the Jotun runt, and he's able to complete it...

_That _will be glorious.

Maybe he should inform The Other to retrieve the thunderer alive as well, and Thanos can have the pleasure of hearing the furious screams from the chosen prince's throat as he watches his childhood companion's blood spilled, sacrificed cruelly to ignite the gems' powers.

And the first life he will take with the Gauntlet will be the thunder god's.

Oh, surely Death would love that, the Mighty Thor's soul, the supposedly unbeatable and perfect hero as her eternal slave.

And after that, he'll seat himself on the throne of Asgard, and as the realm lies dying before him he'll destroy all the Nine Realms with but a thought, and quite literally plunge all the worlds into Hel.

Then of course, there's the tesseract—unlimited power. Power which he'll use to travel on to greater worlds, even the spaces between, and he will conquer them all, standing Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

And Death will be his Queen.

Thanos comes finally to the doors of the weapon's vault, ramming his shoulder into the gilded metal until the lock breaks, and he bursts into the chamber.

His heart quickens its pace in his chest as he walks forward along the dark floor, the torches all expired, and he spares not even a glance towards the other relics.

He finds the spot, and reaches out, only to find that there's nothing—absolutely nothing—there.

"Looking for this?"

Thanos whirls around, blue eyes going wide in alarm as he turns to find Loki standing there, the Infinity Gauntlet on his right hand, all six gems shining with blinding luster, the lights dancing across the vexatious smirk; red, yellow, blue, purple, orange, green.

The Mad Titan can only stare, awe and horror squabbling for dominance on his face.

This should not be possible.

He lunges forward, only to be knocked back against the wall with naught but a movement of the trickster's shifting eyes.

"It's a little big," Loki muses, seeming to glance at the glove thoughtfully. "But that's alright. It's leaves room for my claws."

Only then does Thanos notice the cat ears and tail that adorn the dark-haired god, and it infuriates him further that he's bested by a creature so ridiculous looking.

The trickster's but a child compared to himself!

"I read your notes," Loki says casually, and though Thanos tries to lunge at him again, he finds that it's impossible for him to move. "All about your plans to sacrifice me." The god snorts. "You should know that blood and sacrifice is centuries out of date. And though it would likely have worked, it's certainly not the most effective technique. You see, by igniting the gems through pain they would absorb some of that dark energy, and you would have had trouble keeping them under control as they tried to rebel against you, echoing with death throes." The smirk hasn't once left that thin face, and Thanos wants nothing other than to rip it off, along with the ears and tail. See who's smirking then.

"The gems are, after all, sentient," the god continues, walking over to the titan. The smirk drops away in an instant, to be replaced by a convoluted sneer, eyes narrowing and darking even as the gems in the Gauntlet pulse brighter.

And Thanos can't help the tremble that involuntarily wracks his body.

"Tell me..." Loki hisses, voice dangerously low and sibilant. "You think yourself acquainted with Death. But how well do you know _Pain?" _

A scream is torn from Thanos' throat as he writhes on the floor, blood beginning to drip from the corner of his mouth as he feels his organs rupture, veins flaming as if poisoned, blue eyes widened at the figure standing over him.

This should not be happening... it should him standing over the writhing Jotun runt. He should be the one laughing... not screaming. He shouldn't be the one screaming.

"Revenge is ravenous," Loki says apathetically, eyes void, face blank. "But trying to satisfy it would make a slave of me, now wouldn't it?"

He waves his gloved hand, and the titan's heart stops.

Loki watches as the light fades from the strangely blue eyes.

Death won't be as hospitable as Thanos would think, and that thought almost quells the pent up rage that still thrums through his body, hot and stifling.

That was far better than the titan deserves, Loki thinks.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Glancing once at the body, he snaps his fingers, watching as it's incinerated into ash. His right hand flexes, then balls into a fist, then flexes again, the metal sliding against metal.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

Deep breath in—

"STOP!"

Loki turns to the doorway, a sardonic smile on his lips, exposing glinting teeth.

"Hello, _Father." _

* * *

**And this is why I love that Loki isn't a hero - because he can give in to some of his darker instincts, and he can kill people and not be merciful and offer forgiveness or just lock them up or something. It makes him far more interesting to write ;) **

**So, the story's starting to wrap up, folks! I estimate there to be two or three more chapters after this, depending. **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you gazillions to everyone who has faved, alerted and reviewed! The support for this has been truly incredible :D**

**I hope you find this chapter as satisfying to read as I found it to write :3 I know my sister has definitely been looking forward to this... **

* * *

Odin suddenly finds himself unable to speak, staring into those eyes flickering with color and malice, that face he can no longer liken to the baby he'd taken from Jotunheim all those years ago.

There's an uncomfortable churning in his stomach as Loki walks forward, boots falling silent on the dark stone.

And Odin can't help but recall the last time they'd both been in the weapon's vault, and he remembers the open pain on the boy's face, the desperation, the first traces of insanity skulking in the depths of that green gaze.

But now it appears that that insanity has spread like poison through blue veins, permeated into every iota of that being and ravaged him, like a starving predator, as he stalks ever closer.

The Allfather can't help his gaze flicking between the Gauntlet on Loki's right hand, and the fine pile of ash that was once one of the most powerful creatures in the universe.

"You know, I find it funny now that you thought me insane before," Loki says, voice threateningly calm, like that eerie sheen the sky has right before a hurricane blows in. And it's almost like he can read Odin's mind. "When _this _is what it must feel like to be truly insane. So much, life, death and pain..." he trails off, clenching his eyes shut.

When next he speaks, his voice is raw and cut open like a fresh, bleeding wound. "Thanos wasn't lying when he said that the Infinity Gauntlet grants omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. I can feel everything—the sword plunging into a Chitauri's throat, a butterfly in Alfheim alighting upon a blade of grass, the chill of Gungnir against your hand. I can hear every thought—Steve wondering how many Chitauri are left on Midgard, Sif's fury as she fires an arrow into a Chitauri's eye, you thinking that I could only possibly be lying."

And Loki snickers, eyes crazed. "Oh, but it's addicting, the power. The knowledge that I with a thought," he glances at his right hand, curling his gold fingers into a fist and smirking as he feels thousands of Chitauri drop dead as their mothership is extirpated in a ball of seething flame, feels every one of their hearts stop. "I can destroy anything. Destroy everything."

Odin is looking at him now with undisguised horror, and it takes all the Allfather's effort not to take several steps back, away from the monster in front of him.

"Oh, I am a monster, aren't I?" Loki muses, laughing because he can't seem to find what he's feeling beneath all the sensory input. It pelts him like torrents of hail, and it's all but impossible to catch a single one and narrow his focus on it, the lens of his mind stuck on wide-angle, every single detail in sharp focus, pulling his attention everywhere at once.

He can feel his mind fraying at the edges, and his left hands grips his right, but he can't seem to summon enough awareness of himself to pull the glove off, his lips pursing as if in thought.

Turning his gaze back to the Odin, that cynical smile springs back to life. "You fear me, do you not?"

The Allfather's grip is sweaty on his spear, his breathing erratic in a budding panic.

"Yet you've always feared me," Loki continues mercilessly. "It was not an act of charity, you taking the Prince of Jotunheim, but a gambit in which you hoped to use me as a pawn for peace. All those years I wasted trying to earn your favor," a biting laugh, "but all I ever was to was a tool, a stolen relic. That's why you adopted me as your son, so you could keep me close, keep on an eye on me, and discourage any... dangerous tendencies; like magic, for instance."

A green snake curls up the Allfather's arm, and he can feel its cold scales, feels its teeth pierce his arm and sees the blood even as he drops Gungnir with a clatter, jumping back and staring at his skin, now appearing unscathed.

"Each time you placed the blame on me—like you blame me even now—and punished me for that which is my very nature, you were hoping you could subdue me, train me like some _dog _that will lie down at your feet or hunt whenever you decree," Loki spits, sneering, even as continues approaching, movements sharp and cutting, his usual smooth grace fled from his lithe frame. "But you should know that monsters are not biddable. That's what makes them monsters, does it not? That they act only on their own insatiable hunger for chaos and the pain of others. Isn't that what you've taught us Jotun's are?"

Everything in Odin's body is screaming at him to turn tail and run, but he finds himself frozen to the spot, watching with an awed terror as the trickster's eyes kaleidoscope: emerald, sapphire, topaz, ruby, amethyst, citrine.

His pupils slitted, cat ears flat against his head, Loki's voice is strangely soft. "Did you mourn?" he whispers. "Did you mourn when I fell? Did you feel anything when you heard Thanos tortured me?"

The guilt that passes across Odin's aged visage is enough that Loki could have figured out the answer just by watching, and wouldn't have needed to hear the traitorous thoughts as well as they pass across the Allfather's mind as easily read as the text of a book.

"I thought as much," Loki murmurs, voice still low, suave and formidable.

Odin finds himself wishing that the trickster would yell and scream, lose that prodigious cool that satiates his voice like Jotunheim's winter chill, penetrating down to the Allfather's bones and freezing his blood solid.

Why was this worse than facing Thanos?

Perhaps because Thanos is—or rather, _was—_predictable. And Loki? Decidedly not so.  
The Mad Titan was evil, but the trickster is mischief.

"You think to control me?" Loki says, standing right in front of the Allfather now.

Odin suddenly realizes, as the God of Chaos stands over him, just how tall Loki is.

Taller than him.

Loki had always looked almost unassuming, small, fragile almost.

But now, covered in leather and metal and cloaked in shadow, all darkness except for his luminous eyes and the Gauntlet on his hand that seems to make the air shiver with power, he is the very definition of ghastly and intimidating.

"Well I'll have you know that I will _never _answer to you, you decrepit _fool."_

A surge of anger finally allows the Allfather to pry his mouth open, and he starts to shoot back "I am your King—"

Loki cuts him off with a punch to the face, the metal of the Gauntlet connecting to flesh with a sickening _crack_, and the momentum sends Odin flying backwards, through the doors of the weapon's vault and into the far wall of the corridor, where he falls to the floor.

A pale hand grabs the collar of his armor, pulling him up for the metallic fist to crash into his face again, blood already streaming from the Allfather's broken nose.

Another punch.

And another.

Loki drops the unconscious god to the ground then, sneering at the crumpled form.

It would be so easy to just end Odin; so tempting to simply twitch his fingers and make the Terrible One feel his pain, before succumbing to Death.

So very, very tempting.

* * *

Steve was on the ground with Natasha, and there must still have been hundreds of the Chitauri in the city, as they made their way through the streets, bullets and shield flying.

"How many more do you think there are left?" the supersoldier asked, catching the shield only to send it off once again, punching an alien that tried to stab him. "How long will this take?"

Natasha snorted as she whirls around and kicks one in the face, before grabbing its spear and slashing it through yet another Chitauri. "You're asking me?"

"They're still crawling everywhere," Tony relayed over intercom, and they saw the suit shoot by above them, repulsors blasting aliens from the air and making them drop like flies. "Tons of them." There's a growling sigh.

"Yeah, and I'm out of arrows," Clint remarked, brushing shattered glass of himself from where he stood in a skyscraper office, having just swung through the window.

Hulk's roaring was audible in the distance.

"We could really use a miracle right now," Tony said, a blast from a Chitauri whizzing past his face. He killed it promptly. "Anyone have any brilliant ideas?"

"You're supposed to be the genius, aren't you?" Natasha snapped, hands to her belt only to find that she's out of bullets.

"Yeah, well, I'm—" Tony abruptly stopped talking, watching as the aliens he'd been targeting suddenly drop as one and careen into the ground.

Clint arrived down on the streets to see Natasha and Steve staring in surprise at the all the Chitauri crumpled at their feet.

The assassin pokes one tentatively.

It was dead.

"Well, there's your miracle, Stark," Steve said.

* * *

Thor was on a leviathan's back when the creature suddenly went limp and plunged towards the ground, Thor leaping off and landing on a roof as he gazed around, to find that all the Chitauri had suddenly dropped dead.

He thought perhaps he'd heard an explosion somewhere in the distance.

But as disturbing and unexplained as the phenomenon was, Thor would have worry about it later, because there were more important matters at hand.

Flying to the castle, he entered the already open doors, an ill feeling spreading through his gut as he hurried through the halls, dead Chitauri and Aesir littering the floor.

He found her in the throne room.

"Thor!" Frigga called, beaming as she ran over and threw her arms around his neck, sword still in her hand. "I'm so glad you're alright!" she pulled away then, looking around the thunderer's bulk as if Loki would be hiding behind him. "Where is your brother?"

Thor bit his lip. "I don't know," he admitted, the worry evident in his voice. "I was hoping you'd seen him?"

Frigga shakes her head, blue eyes widening at the realization that something could have happened to her youngest son. "But you found him, before? He's not still in Thanos' clutches?" she said, clutching Thor's arm.

"Aye, he escaped," Thor nodded. "How else could I have gotten here, if not for him? I haven't seen him since we first arrived, though."

He glanced down at his hands, and only then noticed that he was soaked and dripping a puddle of water on the floor. "Do you know where Odin is? Or Thanos?"

"Thanos," Frigga said, gasping as a thought struck her. "You don't think Loki went after him, do you?"

Thor looked at her in alarm. "The Infinity Gauntlet," he breathed, before turning and sprinting down the hallways, making his way towards the weapon's vault.

* * *

Thor comes skittering to a stop as he arrives at the weapon's vault to see Loki punch Odin in the face, before dropping him to the stone floor.

Loki looks up at him, worlds of pain in his multi-colored eyes, and the thunderer feels his heart skip a beat.

His brother's expression is lost, hysterical, deranged, tears glistening in streams of silver down his wan and concave cheeks, dripping from his sharp chin.

"Get if off..." Loki pleads, his entire form trembling as he holds out his hand, the Gauntlet the only bright thing in the shadowed corridor. "Get it off me..."

Thor is next to his brother in an instant, pulling the metal glove off and tossing it aside, pulling Loki into his arms as the dark god collapses, completely limp.

"It's alright," Thor whispers, nose in the black hair as Loki sobs uncontrollably against his shoulder. "Everything's alright. I love you. I love you, Loki. It's alright."

They stand there for what could have been an eternity, till Loki runs out of tears, though he continues shaking.

"I felt everything," Loki says, looking into his brother's blue eyes. "I felt _everything." _

Thor's grip around Loki tightens, and his heart seems to constrict in his chest at the broken tone of his brother's voice as his mind races to try to figure out what Loki means by feeling everything.

Loki chokes up, clenching his trembling hands in the red cape, lowering his head so that his dark hair falls into his face, the tresses no longer slicked back. "It... oh Thor, it _hurt." _

Thor can't remember Loki ever complaining about anything hurting—he'd always hid his pain, lied about it. Pretended he was fine.

But he's obviously not fine right now. And the fact that he's admitting it makes Thor's breath catch harshly in his dry throat.

"Thor?" Loki's voice sounds like that of a child.

"Yes Brother?"

"You remember what you did to the bifrost?"

Thor swallows. "Aye."

"Well that," Loki says, nodding towards the Infinity Gauntlet, "Is looking equally shiny and dangerous. A potential World Destroyer, disguised in pretty wrappings."

It takes only a moment for Thor to figure out what his brother is asking him to do, and he strides over, taking Mjolnir and bringing it up, before smashing it down onto the Gauntlet.

Again.

And again.

Until it's nothing but a pile of golden and rainbow dust.

Loki stumbles over beside him, and kicks the dust with his leather boots, a small tear opening in space to swallow them.

His green eyes, strangely pallid, roll back into his head then, and Thor rushes forward to catch him.

"Oh Loki," Thor murmurs, pulling his little brother into his arms, and, allotting to leave the Allfather lying there on the floor, begins trekking back up to where their Mother is no doubt waiting with baited breath.

"You brilliant idiot," he continues, voice somewhere between fond and melancholy. "What am I ever going to do with you?"

* * *

**So, there's definitely going to be two more chapters after this, the second one being a sort of epilogue, methinks :) **

**I'm afraid I'm not planning a sequel for this story though, since I have an idea for a separate fic that I actually started writing a while ago, but haven't posted yet, and I'd really like to see if I can get that one going before school starts up again in less than a month... **

**But anyways... I'd love it if you'd leave a review and let me know what you think ^.^**


	19. Chapter 19

**To everyone who has followed, faved, and reviewed: I appreciate it more than I can say *-* Thank you! **

* * *

The Avengers convened on the street, Iron Man lowering himself slowly to the ground as he continues turning his head, as if expecting all the Chitauri to suddenly get back up again.

Because yeah, he'd been hoping for a miracle—but he hadn't actually expected to _get _one.

Holding his pants up, Bruce walks over last, where they all stand in group, silent except for panting breaths.

Both the assassins and Steve are covered with gashes and already starting to bruise, their suits scuffed and embellished with tears, as they wipe the sweat from their necks and faces, hair full of dust and grime that leaves the smears of perspiration on the backs of their hands dirtied and black.

Bruce has a fine coat of ash on his skin and hair but he possess not even minor injuries.

The Iron Man suit is scratched and banged up, sparks skittering along the wiring as he rips his faceplate off.

"Has anyone ever had shawarma?" Tony asks. He raises his eyebrows questioningly as he gives his faceplate a good kick, sending it into the air that stinks of alien flesh, and spinning across the ground only to be stopped by an overturned taxi. "I've never had it, but I want to try it. And I promised myself that if I got out of this battle alive I would indulge that desire. Cross something else of my bucket list, you know?"

"What about Thor and Loki?" Steve points out, frowning slightly.

Tony claps the supersoldier on the shoulder, saying "We can get order some shawarma to-go for them." He glances around at the weary faces, trying to keep his voice upbeat. "What do ya say? Chill out, eat something... try to recuperate... and fail valiantly..."

"I'm in," Clint says, unstringing his bow. "I'm starved."

Natasha and Steve nod in agreement, while Bruce shuffles awkwardly, lifting a hand to wipe a brow curl from his face only to immediately grab his pants again as they almost fall down.

"Could I get changed first?" he simpers.

"No, we're making you walk into a restaurant without your shirt or shoes so we can watch in amusement as they try to kick you out," Tony says sarcastically with a roll off his dark eyes. "Tell you what: I'll go fly to the tower and grab you some clothes, and I'll me you all at the shawarma shop, okay? Assuming," he smirks at the doctor, "you're fine walking through the abandoned streets like that."

Natasha saves Bruce from having to answer. "Oh get out of here already," she tells the billionaire, "before I get annoyed and and rub a handful of leviathan guts in your face."

Tony pulls an expression of horror as he takes off.

Jarvis would probably berate him later for flying without his helmet on, but whatever. He could put up with a bit of scolding from an artificial intelligence.

The sad thing was that a computer program could actually make him feel like a child sent to the principle's office.

* * *

Loki stirs, groaning. He drags his eyes open, and upon realizing where he is sits bolt upright, a wave of dizziness sweeping over him from the abrupt movement, as he automatically grabs a pillow and hugs it to his chest.

What in all the Nine Realms is he doing in his room?

"Brother, you're awake!"

Loki flings the pillow at the thunderer, who catches it before it smacks him in the face, smiling in a genuine happiness that makes Loki narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Oh my son!"

Frigga's arms are suddenly wrapped around him, and he blinks.

Just his luck he had to wake up while both of them are here.

But nevertheless he returns his mother's embrace, even as he turns to look at Thor, opening his mouth to speak only to snicker.

"What's so funny?" Thor asks, frowning, glancing down at his chest before turning his head to look behind him, trying to find what it is Loki's snickering at.

Frigga lets him go, sitting on the edge of his green sheets and watching the exchange between the her two sons, a small, tenuous smile on her lips.

Loki leans over to where Thor's sitting on a chair, almost falling out of the bed as he flicks one of the washers in the thunderer's hair. "I'm assuming you got some odd looks, fighting the entire battle with this junk in your hair."

"You're one to talk," Thor snorts, hitting Loki's hand away in annoyance. "What with you still having cat ears and a tail."

"I think they're cute," Frigga adds, as she strokes a black furred ear, causing it to flick.

"Cute?"Loki says, horrified._"Cute?" _He widens his green eyes, pupils still catlike slits, as his mouth falls open slightly. "Oh, I am mending this atrocious error."

There's a flash of light, somewhere between green and white, and when Thor blinks away the spots from his vision, he sees Loki sitting before him, perfectly normal.

And smirking that characteristic smirk of his.

Thor feigns a glare.

Loki knows this, yet he sighs anyway, giving in. "Fine, I'll take it out." He swings his legs out of bed and gets up before Frigga can put her hand on his shoulder and push him back down, and he's pleased to realized that though most of the pieces of his armor were removed, he's still wearing his leathers.

Good. He doesn't think he could stand it if they'd changed his clothes.

"Loki!" Thor exclaims, as the younger grabs the chair and closes his eyes, taking in a couple deep breaths. "You know I didn't mean—"

"Yes yes, I know," Loki waves him off, opening his eyes and beginning to undo the ribbons and remove the beads and washers from the golden mane. "But I'm fine," he lies. "And I'm sure I've slept enough."

"You've only been out for a day," Frigga says, answering his unasked question. "But what with everything you've been through, you need more rest than that."

"No I don't."

Frigga decides not to contradict him, instead trying "Would you like to tell me what happened?" Her voice is soft, caring, attentive, a touch of moonlight; not bright, not dark, not warm, not cold.

Loki's body goes rigid, and he accidentally pulls to harshly on Thor's hair, the thunder god suppressing a wince. "I think you can guess," Loki says stiffly.

Frigga says nothing, waiting, and finally Loki sighs. "Fine: I fabricated the Infinity Gauntlet. Killed Thanos. Destroyed the Chitauri mothership. Punched Odin. Thor smashed the Gauntlet. I passed out. The end."

Silence reigns, its kingdom a tangible thing of delicate crystal walls that crumble at a breath, as Loki continues brushing and pulling the Midgardian objects from his brother's hair, till finally the blond tresses are unobstructed and flowing, smooth between his pale fingers.

Thor smiles in thanks as Loki sits back on his bed, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them, a position Thor hasn't seen him assume since their adolescence.

"Will you come to the funeral ceremony, Brother?" Thor asks.

It's tradition that the bodies be lain on ships, set on fire and pushed out into the sea.

And there's been so many, many fallen.

For a moment Thor thinks his brother won't answer, but then he hears Loki's voice, low and monotonous. "As long as I don't have to partake in the festivities that transpire thereafter."

Meaning the feast, Thor knows. Both to mourn those in passing, and to celebrate the victory.

Or rather, semi-victory.

More to celebrate that they're still alive, he guesses.

His brother has never enjoyed feasts, calling them loud and rowdy gatherings of gluttons and drunkards, revolting in every aspect.

And Thor realizes he understands Loki's contempt for such things, as he himself, after Loki's fall, wanted nothing better than to pummel everyone who laughed and celebrated and drank and sang, into the ground, for daring to be merry when _his brother was gone._

He'd certainly lost it several times, flipped over tables and dumped ale over people's heads.

Yes, the festivities often seemed needless and mocking.

But at least the ceremony, shipping off the bodies of those departed to Valhalla, was a duly solemn and serious event.

He dreaded seeing the number of boats tonight.

* * *

There must have been hundreds of the boats, Loki thinks, though he does his best to distract himself, keep himself from counting the numbers of deceased Aesir.

He lowers his eyelids so that he stares through his lashes, the details of the flaming barges blurring to flickering orange and red stars, flowing steadily off into the sea of night, their reflections rippling ghosts along the surface of the water, the other wing.

They swarm like lazy fireflies in his vision, drifting farther away, each one the mark of a soul burned its last.

He cares not to know who they are by name, or even by face—yet he can't help but feel a small pang he tries desperately to shove away, wondering about families, friends left behind; he can hear crying, crying in the crowd of Aesir, men and woman alike shedding tears that fall to their feet like the bodies of the dead.

The waves swish against the shore, a susurration.

He wonders if already they carry particles of the ash back to those who weep, as if to show that flame can be quenched, the sharp sting of mourning perhaps fading eventually to a dull ache.

Though when one lives so long as they do, memories stretch farther—they have to. And so it never really ends.

Loki watches as the fires sputter out, one by one, like someone saw fit to stuff the fireflies into a jar and suffocate them. The smoke spiraling upwards tangles a dusky lavender with the black and gray of clouds, the moon veiled by the ribbons.

The Aesir gathered on the beach begin heading back to the castle, where already the sounds of music can be heard, obscured by the clanging of utensils and plates, the smashing of goblets.

But he stays still, the last one standing in the cool dark, as he sees the very last fire dissolve away to nothing on the horizon.

He almost wants to, but he just can't allow himself to care. Yet he's felt their pain, their final death throes, their final thoughts and hopes and desires. They swim around his mind like sharks circling, crying for blood in the water.

Funny, how he's the last one out here, trying to understand even if he cannot care, while the Aesir that even now he feels their disgust and distrust of him. Even hearing that he was the one who killed Thanos, destroyed the Chitauri ship, he can tell they still think he should be tried for treason. They didn't see it with their own eyes, therefor they don't believe it—they can't possibly believe that the trickster, who'd let Frost Giants into Asgard, had destroyed the bifrost, and had been previously thought dead nonetheless, could be so pivotal in the miraculous defeat of the Chitauri.

Odin will probably want him tried for treason as well, as soon as he regains consciousness.

And those dead, he knows they liked him not.

So does he mock them, then, by staying longer than the ones they loved? As if to say: they're trying to forget you. Welcome to the realm of the forgotten.

Unnoticed, like the breath in sleeping lungs.

He hears Thor walk up beside him, boots crunching on the sand. "Loki?"

"I don't want to stay here," Loki says quietly, gaze dropping to the sand by his boots, the individual grains blurring together in the dark.

He has the urge to start running along the stretch of beach with his eyes closed.

"Then come inside," Thor says.

Loki doesn't turn to look at him. "No," he shakes his head, "that's not what I meant. I don't want to stay here _in Asgard." _

"Asgard's our home," Thor points out, voice betraying confusion.

He stands right behind Loki now, but still the trickster doesn't turn.

"For you, maybe," Loki snorts. "But haven't you seen the way they look at me? The Aesir want me gone, and I want myself gone as well." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "Eons, Thor. Eons spent here, and shadows stretch off into the horizon, puddles too deep to step out of."

Thor places a hand on the bony shoulder.

"Besides," the silvertongue smirks, finally turning to look at Thor with a knowing smirk. "Don't you want to see your Jane again? And we promised the Avengers we would return."

"After business in our home is done."

"It _is _done."

The thunderer tries to see what stirs behind the green eyes, strangely black in the dark, and it unnerves him that they _aren't _glowing slightly. "When?"

Loki lets out a breath. "Now."

"'Now' meaning after we say goodbye to Mother," Thor interprets, giving a knowing smile of his own.

When they say their farewells, it's all Frigga can do to let them go.

"You will come back," she says, more demand than question, as they stand at the edge of the bustling hall, Aesir glancing past them without actually seeing.

"Maybe."

Frigga narrows her eyes at him, and Loki laughs.

* * *

The Avengers are gathered in Stark Tower, several boxes of pizza on the coffee table as they lounge on the couches, trying to agree on a movie to watch.

It had been two days since the battle; two and a half days since they'd seen Thor and Loki.

Not a one of them was able to watch the News, what with all the ingrates suggesting that the Avengers' were somehow at fault for something or another, they didn't really care.

Though there were good things on the News as well, people thanking them, and signs of the city beginning to heal, it was really just easier to remove themselves from all that.

Relax.

They're all still exhausted, not a one of them offering to get up and grab the remote to the T.V.

"Fine, I'll get it," Steve relents, giving up his comfy spot on the black leather couch and walking over to the screen, searching around it for the remote. "Where's the remote?" he asks, confused.

"I should be right in front of you, below the screen, _genius," _Tony quips. "I knew you were bad at using modern technology, but I didn't realize you were bad at _finding _it too."

"There's nothing here," Steve insists, checking all around the flatscreen T.V, and then in the drawers of the dresser it had been placed upon, in a hurried rush to get some sort of television up and running.

Natasha sighs, getting up to help him. She frowns. "Steve's right. The remote's not here."

"What do you mean?" Tony says, exasperated. "Of course it's there!"

"Looking for this?"

The humans whirl around, jaws dropping as they see Thor and Loki standing behind them, the God of Mischief holding the remote in his hand and smirking.

"You bastards—" Tony starts, only to be cut off by Bruce.

"Hey guys," the doctor smiles. He gestures, encompassing the room, the Avengers, the pizza, and tower, and just the world in general. "Welcome home."

* * *

**So, one more chapter after this one! :) It will most likely be an epilogue, maybe a month or two in the future or something. I hope to get Hela and Thanos in there as well, but we'll have to see how things go... this story kind of gets away from me XD**

**Please drop a review and let me know what you think! **


	20. Epilogue

**I would love to thank you all again for all the truly AMAZING support for this story! I couldn't possibly hope to articulate how much it means to me *-***

**And here's the last chapter! Enjoy ^.^**

* * *

Thanos came striding into Death's hall like he owned the place, the mists stirring around his feet so it appeared more like he was wading through silver liquid than walking on a cold stone floor, bones snapping and crunching beneath his boots.

Hela glared at him coldly, sitting up straight from where she'd been lounging on the throne of skulls. "Kneel," she hissed, wiping the smile off his violet face as he obeyed, bowing his head before her.

"My Love—" he started, daring to glance up.

Her void eyes quickly forced him to lower his spectral blue ones.

"You failed," Hela said, voice like the wind that prowls her realm, frighting even the dead with goosebumps, though their breaths are invisible in the chilly air, since breathe they nothing into their empty lungs.

Thanos swallowed though there was no moistness in his mouth.

Hela smirked then, showing the teeth protruding from her skull, through her rotting gums. "And your failure was satisfying. To see you crushed by a boy with cat ears and a tail..." she trailed off, watching in undisguised delight as the titan squirmed uncomfortably, not looking up to see the smug smile pulling at her cheeks till the fair skin looked taught enough to crumble. She leaned forward. "Did you not wonder how Loki came to possess the three Infinity Gems you had held on your person?"

Thanos' eyes flicked along the fog swamped ground, before meeting hers in horror and betrayal, features trying to twist into an expression far too subtle for the blocky features.

She kept smiling. "Yes, it was I who pickpocketed them from you, and gave them to the boy," she admitted, seeming to soak up every flinch and start of the titan, every degree his mouth fell further open.

"Why—"

"You sought to unbalance the universe," Hela shot at him, standing up, her dress swishing as if with pained moans, the phantom faces complaining. "Death is an important part of Yggdrasil—it acts as a counterweight to Life, and end to the beginning," she explained. "You can't have Life without Death, but likewise can't you have Death without Life. And you would seek to tip the scales, so all souls fall here to Yggdrasil's roots, causing her branches to weaken and break as she topples, shattering pieces on us all." Hela sneered, stalking towards him and grabbing his throat with a skeletal hand wrapped with ribbons of rotting flesh. "You used your _love _for me as an excuse to endeavor for _power." _

Thanos struggled uselessly against her iron grip, wondering how it could be she could choke someone who's already dead.

"Oh, but I have special plans for you," she crooned in his ear. "I stole it from the fate of somebody else's soul—it's a monstrous thing. It will be perfect for you."

"You can't do that!" Thanos protested, as she began dragging him down mazing halls of darkness. "You can't change the fate that Yggdrasil has carved in her bark!"

Hela snorted. "You know nothing of the World Tree. And yes I can; he gave me his soul after all, and I couldn't possibly stand to see it by pain corrupted into something as evil as yourself."

She left him chained to a rock, a snake above him dripping corrosive poison onto his face in slow trickles of greenish fluid.

Thanos' screams followed her like dogs, and she laughed as they rubbed against her legs, nipping at her shoes as she walked away.

* * *

_Midgard: several months after the battle of New York. _

Steve stands in the kitchen of Stark Tower, holding a large metal bowl in one arm as he stirs with a fork in the other hand, while the two gods hover over his shoulder, watching with interest as the supersoldier makes the waffle batter.

"If you're going to be constantly getting in my way, you may as well help out," Steve says, giving them both pointed looks. They'd been following him around the kitchen ever since he got up, asking him questions about what he was doing, or the different appliances, only a few of which he'd mastered how to work. And frankly, even in normal clothes—well, as normal as they ever got, seeing as though Thor would wear a t-shirt and jeans Loki always insisted on wearing suits, or at the least a collared button-up shirts with black slacks, often with a green scarf—they were still intimidating when every time he turns they're _right there_, towering over him.

"Of course!" Thor grins, clapping Steve on the shoulder and almost making him drop the bowl. "How can we help?"

"Well, you can go get me a couple eggs from the fridge," the man answers.

Loki opens the fridge and practically sticks his head inside, calling out "The eggs are kept in that strange gray box with the separate compartments, right?"

"It's called an egg carton, and yes," Steve says, setting the bowl down to begin setting up the waffle iron.

"How many eggs?"

"Four."

Loki pulls out the carton from the fridge, opening it up and grabbing four eggs in a single long-fingered hand, holding them like a juggler, before tossing the eggs across the room.

Steve turns, eyes going wide, as he sees the fragile things sail towards where the sink is located—only to be plucked form the air by a grinning thunder god, who then tosses the eggs into the bowl of waffle batter.

The man suppresses the urge to facepalm. "Thor," he sighs, fishing the eggs out of the batter, "You can't just put the eggs in—you have to crack the shells, and just use the yolks and whites."

"Sorry," the thunderer simpers, shuffling his feet slightly as the younger god snickers at him.

"Do you need us to get anything else?" Thor inquires helpfully.

"NO—no, I'm okay," Steve says hurriedly, cracking the eggs into the batter and picking up the fork.

"I can stir if you want."

Steve glances at the god's ridiculously muscled arms. He would probably beat it too fast or something, and either splash it everywhere or break the fork or something. "No really, I'm okay."

The supersoldier turns then to see Loki with the waffle iron, and before Steve can stop him he plugs the chord into the electrical socket, giving the man a wink. "It wasn't warming up just sitting there unplugged."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Steve turns back around, only to jump slightly as he finds that Thor has once again crept up just behind him. "Would you stop doing that?" he asks, exasperated. "You're going to make me mess up."

"Sorry," Thor apologizes again.

"Why don't you two go sit at the table and wait for breakfast to be done?" Steve suggests, as he waves a hand above the waffle iron to see if its hot enough yet.

The thunder god's voice is almost whiny. "But I'm hungry—"

"Oh, stop acting like a child, Brother," Loki rolls his eyes, grabbing the blond and dragging him over to the table, shoving him into a chair, before wandering around the room and picking up a magazine, flipping through it.

They keep bantering about something or other, but Steve tunes them out as he pours the batter onto the waffle iron, careful not to get it everywhere. He then dutifully watches the clock to make sure he doesn't accidentally forget and burn any of them.

When he brings a couple plates stacked with waffles over to the table—he'd gotten used to making double or even triple batches, seeing as the gods seemed to have an even higher metabolism than he did, and ate a freaking _ton—_only to find Loki sitting on Thor's lap as the thunderer sulks.

"Er...?"

Loki glances up at the mortal's confused face, smirking. "My Brother wouldn't stop scooting his chair around, making an awful noise and scratching up the floor."

"So you sat on him," Steve says skeptically.

"Aye," Loki nods.

Steve just shakes his head, though he really should be used to the brothers' queer habits by now, as he sets plates of waffles down on the table.

The supersoldier and the two gods manage to polish off a good two thirds of the waffles before the other Avengers enter, taking up their chairs and confiscating the rest of the breakfast from the two bottomless pits who are still sharing a chair.

"Hey, why does Sparky get the Kid on his lap?" Tony asks, as he comes in the room. "I think that's hardly fair."

"Would you _stop calling me that," _Loki grinds out. "I'm thousands of years older than you are."

Tony just smirks at him, grabbing the syrup pitcher as he says "Yeah, but you look younger than me. And also, you wear that crazy helmet whenever we go out into battle that makes you look like a goat—thus a Kid."

Loki growls in the back of his throat, and Thor takes the opportunity to poke him in the sides, making him jump up, turning and slapping the thunderer on reflex.

Thor chuckles.

"No roughhousing at the dining table, please," Bruce chides, waving his a piece of waffle speared on a fork at them.

The god rolls his green eyes. "Yes Mother."

Suddenly Director Fury's voice comes over the loudspeaker. "Robots are terrorizing civilians at the Central Park. Get your avenging asses down there pronto. And I don't want to hear your complains about the early hour."

It switches off with a click.

There's a collection of groans as the Avengers hurry to finish their breakfast, before pushing away from the table to suit up.

"Okay really," Tony says, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Why is it that everything seems to happen when we're in the middle of eating waffles? This is like, the hundredth time..."

"_Second time, sir,"_ Jarvis corrects.

* * *

Iron Man blasts a metal humanoid back, Captain America's shield connecting with its head as it stumbles, and he fires a small missile that attaches to the armor, beeping and flashing red a few times, before blowing the robot apart. "No Doombots, _again," _Tony groans, chasing after one with a jet pack. "Doesn't that dude have a better hobby?"

"I get the feeling he finds it amusing," Natasha answers, which Tony takes to mean that no, Doom doesn't have a better hobby than building robots to send against them, without much purpose except some halfhearted half-baked excuses.

A Doombot zaps Thor with lightning from its gauntlet, though the only effect it seems to have is to annoy him. "You call that lightning?" the thunderer roars, "I'll show you lightning!"

The white clouds seem to absorb moisture from somewhere as they turn a dark gray, roiling and crackling, as Thor uses Mjolnir to electrocute several of them, leaving their green cloaks scorched and their wires fizzling.

"Well, if Doom's doing this for fun, who are we to refuse?" Loki asks rhetorically, as he slashes the sword vertically through a robot.

He really should make himself another scepter, he thinks, as he waves a hand, a smirk budding on his face.

"Nat, watch out!" Clint cries, as the Black Widow whirls around in time to see a Doombot point its gauntlet at her, and she tries to spring out of the way, a second to late—and gets covered in whipped cream.

"What the hell?" she asks, taking the bot down by sticking a dagger in chink in the armor, at the back of the neck beneath the green hood, severing the wires as it drops.

"Shit!" she hears Tony swear on the intercom. "I'm covered in whipped cream!"

Clint licks some of the stuff of his nose. "Well, it tastes alright," he relays. "And it beats getting shocked."

"LOKI!" Thor roars, his hair full of the sugary cream, as he slams his hammer down on the offending robot.

The dark-haired god whirls around, whipping his sword through bots, their severed pieces disintegrating into various kinds of cereal. "What?" he asks innocently.

"THIS IS NOT AMUSING! A ROBOT JUST THREW POPTARTS AT ME!"

"Hulk thinks its amusing," Tony says, as he sees Jolly Green ripping the bots apart like pinatas, candy dropping out of them.

Natasha sighs as the Doombots start self-destructing in bursts of green sprinkles, joining the whipped cream in her hair. "I think Loki's hungry," she mutters. "Either that or he has a sweet tooth."

"I heard that!"

"Well then which is it?" Natasha asks, as the god walks towards her, and she can't help but giggle at the sight of him dripping with chocolate syrup. "Both?"

"That was not completely expected," he says, making a face where he crinkled his nose and shook his head. "And now I'm all sticky."

She took his avoidance of the question as an affirmative. "Join the club," she answers, flicking green sprinkles at him. "Couldn't you have just, like, cut off all their power with your magic?"

"I could have," he acknowledges. He smirks, ducking as Thor lobs a poptart as his head. "But where would be the fun in that? I can't _wait _to see Fury's reaction when he gets the newsfeed..."

* * *

As Tony so likes to say: Fury was furious.

"Would you stop using crazy spells? People aren't going to take the Avengers team seriously!" the mortal yells.

Loki cocks his head to the side, and he's still covered with chocolate syrup. "But it's worked."

"Yes, you defeat the threats," Fury snaps, pacing the room as the Avengers hide smiles behind their hands. "But you look ridiculous! After this shenanigan everyone's going to think you're Willy Wonka or something! And the time before this, when they all turned into flowers..."

The gods and Steve all furrow their brows—Willy Wonka? What?

After putting up with some more berating (the expression on the Director's face was totally worth it) the Avengers all went to their rooms to clean up.

Loki had just gotten out of the shower and dressed in Midgardian clothing, in what Tony always called a 'ritzy outfit', there was a loud knocking on his door, almost as if it would blow the door from its hinges.

"I didn't know you knew how to knock," Loki says, opening the door to his brother's face.

Thor is grinning hugely, and Loki narrows his eyes in suspicion, glancing around the hallway to try to see what's going on.

"Alright, who's hiding behind you?" the trickster remarks, leaning casually against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest, over his black tie and white long-sleeved shirt.

"Brother, I would like to meet my girlfriend Jane," Thor announces, stepping aside to reveal a petite woman wearing a checkered shirt and jeans, with warm brown hair and eyes, her gaze curious as she looks at the smaller god.

"It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Jane Foster," Loki smiles, holding out a hand. "I've heard much about you."

Jane reaches forward to shake his hand, only for Loki to catch her fingers, bowing slightly to bring them to his lips. "Thor has oft told of your beauty, but I must say that you make an understatement of his words."

The woman blushes, glancing up at her god of a boyfriend as Loki lets go of her hand, continuing "And in that case I can only think that you're even more intelligent than he described as well."

"Be careful around that one," Tony says, walking up to where the three of them are gathered, and nodding to Loki. "He's a charmer."

"Says the playboy..." Loki drawls, smirking.

"I'm actually in a committed relationship right now," Tony says pointedly. He pulls a couple crumpled pieces of paper out of his pockets. "Oh, Steve asked me to give you these invitations," he snorts, as they each take one and gently unfold and smooth it out—or roughly, on Thor's part. "I don't know why he always insists on writing those things. Written invitations are so old-fashioned," Tony continues, shoving his hands in his pockets as they read the notes. "I was going to send you a text message to get your assess up there, but then I remembered that neither of you gods have phones yet. Which is something that needs to be fixed, by the way."

"Thank you for delivering the invitations," Thor says, after managing to read it despite the numerous tears. "We will be right up."

"Well, don't dawdle too long. I still want to test that theory about whether you gods can out-drink Steve or not," Tony calls over his shoulder as he walks away.

Loki groans, letting his head fall back against the door frame. "Oh, so it's going to be that kind of party, now is it?"

"You don't have to partake in the drinking if you don't want to. But _please _come?" Thor begs, as Jane nods encouragingly beside him, making hand gestures where she pretends to glug a drink, and then makes a face and sticks out her tongue, suggesting that she isn't fond of the whole drinking thing either.

"Well..." Loki sighs. "I suppose I should come, if only so that I can have the pleasure of dumping freezing cold water over your head if you get too drunk."

Thor beams, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "Then let us depart!" he announces. "Our friends await!"

Yes, Loki thinks, as he follows Thor and Jane down the hallway. _Our _friends.

* * *

**FIN**

**Well, I hope it's not too weird... it's like, past 4:30am again... and I haven't gotten much sleep for the past two nights... XD**

**And yes, I used the snake and venom torture from the myths; because I'm uncreative like that :P**

**This is my very first long chapter fic with a plot, and the first long chapter fic I've completed! It feels awesome :D**

**Again, I'm afraid that no, there will not be a sequel to this story. However, if you enjoy my writing, I started posting a totally separate chapter fic entitled "Jotun Snowflakes" which is an AU where Loki discovers his Frost Giant heritage as a teen - and there will be more protective!Thor and BAMF!Loki because I love writing them as such ;3**

**Anyways! Final thoughts on this chapter/story? =^.^=**


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